


Overwatch Revival: The Hunter

by TidalLion



Series: Overwatch Revival [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Abandonment, Ancient Egyptian Religion - Freeform, Cards Against Humanity, F/F, F/M, Genji Hanzo and Jack are parents, God Anubis, Holy crap Moira's release actually fits nicely with this, Lena's an aunt, Lots of OCs - Freeform, M/M, Mentions of past child abuse, Mommy issues but in a really sad and fucked up way, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Singaporean Liao, Sombra's conspiricy, Thanks Talon, Unplanned Pregnancy, Where the hell is Liao blizzard why do we know 5 out of 6 founding members?, forced experimenation, lots of story cross referencing, new characters - Freeform, one or two belong to a friend and will be mentione din passing unless directed otherwise, partial Hysterectomy, strong language and violence be advised
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-01-15 15:38:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 87,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12323934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidalLion/pseuds/TidalLion
Summary: “Maybe it’s because I’m just so tired and disheartened and just so sick of everything, but I know that I have to continue on, even if I have to take on hardship so others may be happy. Because if I don’t make a stand who will? Especially if Overwatch is disbanded… Who’s going to fight to try to make things better?”The year is 2077It's been a year since the recall and things don't seem to be improving for Overwatch. Unbeknownst to them, Talon's been working on a project that's set to royally backfire on them, one that will greatly go in Overwatch's favor. With the world standing on the brink of another Global Omnic crisis it's time to reunite Overwatch Petras Act be damned. With a mixture of new and old blood, the heroes must stand together while facing revelations, ugly truths, loss and betrayal just to ensure the world is safe.In other words, I suck at summaries.Updates when able (hopefully weekly or bi-weekly. Now with Art! Check out TidalWavesStudio Deviantart or check chapter notes for specific pieces.





	1. Lights out

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Fanfic. More notes as well as translations will be at the bottom. While this isn't my first time at the rodeo, this is my first posting on AO3, so i f i need to adjust the tags or ratings, please let me know. (originally posted to my fanfic tumblr "fanfics-and-stories".

 

“Sombra, you wanted to see me?”

The Mexican looked up as the sniper stalked into the room. “Yeah I have a few things I wanted to discuss. Thought it would be safer in here since I know my room isn’t bugged.”

“How do you know I’m not bugged?”

“Ugh. Who’s the master hacker here?

Widowmaker shrugged and crossed her arms. “Is this about my conditioning?”

“Si. It’s wearing off, and fast. If I can see it, then it means Gabriel can see it too. And that’s dangerous because it begs the question of who else can see it too. Anyway…” Sombra began flicking through a few screens. “I stumbled across something while doing some research. I remember a while back that you said that you wanted to stop any future attempts to make what you were made into. I think you have the chance to act now.”

“Are you stupid? If I act now, then Talon will certainly be aware of my condition.”

“I planned for that.” Sombra showed her several screens, several with videos, others with pictures, and one of a live video feed. “I’m going to take the fall, but I wanted to make you aware of your options. This girl was kidnapped two years ago, forced into a super soldier project called Project HK, Project Hunter-Killer. She’s known as Subject Hunter, someone with potential. She has yet to show her true form, but she has all the traits. If she can’t shift they’ll either euthanize her or condition her, either one will lead to her death one way or another.”

“So you want to free her, and send her with me?”

“In a nutshell… yeah.”

“Talon will punish you.” Widow started, watching the girl shift into a large, smoky bestial creature.

“Don’t worry, that cameras on a five hour loop. The scientists don’t know she’s finally shifting. Besides, I’m ready to leave. It’s not worth it anymore.” Sombra shrugged. “I’m exhausting my use of Talon so I’m ready to leave now. You can come with me if you want, but regardless I’m getter her out of here and releasing the others.”

“But the others….”

“If they escape it’s no big deal to me. Knowing Talon, if they escape, they’re as good as dead anyway. They’re better off dead than within Talon’s grasp.”

“This girl….” Widow watches the live video. “Is she really that valuable?”

“Oh she’s Valuable to them, and if they knew she was displacing signs of success, she’d be even more valuable then she appears to be. Out of all of them, she’s the most mentally stable. She’s strong too. From what I can see, she’s the perfect weaponized human hybrid.”

Widow watched as the girl turned back. “How long can your blackouts last for?”

“As long as we need. You coming?”

Her training screamed at her to attack Sombra, to kill her for her treason, but Amalie win out, seeking escape and redemption. Bitterly, she noted how slack Talon had become. “Let me get my gear.”

“Hurry up. I’m going to talk to her and as soon as I do, I’m leaving.”

“Tell her to meet us at the weapons locker. I’m assuming that’s where your supply cache is.”

“No. Meet us in the hanger. I already have transport ready. Unless anyone wanders in, we’re home free.”

Widow gave a curt nod and ran off to the weapons locker, while Sombra opened a channel to the girl’s cell. She knew that the girl was unpredictable, and would most likely distrust her, but it was worth a shot.  “You know, I thought you’d crack under the pressure like the others by now. I’m impressed chica.”

The girl growled and looked up at the camera, a device on her collar flashing yellow. _“{Who the fuck are you?}”_

“Consider me a friend. When I found out what Talon was doing to you guys, I knew I had to do something. I know what they’re done to you, and I’m offering you freedom if you leave with me.”

_“{Don’t the scientists know? I mean the cameras watch us constantly, and the collars monitor vitals.}”_

“Oh I know. I was working on blocking the signals and looping the feeds before I opened the coms. I also disabled the shock device so they can’t try anything stupid. So Chase, are you coming?”

The girl snorted, clearly it had been a long time since someone had called her that. _“{And they said you wouldn’t be interested. You must be Sombra then, nice to finally put a voice to a name. So, any nasty little surprises I should know about before we wreck Talon’s shit?}”_

The girl was smarter than she looked and judging by her appearance, and the fierce look in her eyes, she wanted revenge. It was probably best if she was upfront and honest with the girl. “Widowmaker’s getting her gear and will be coming with us. It’s just us that will be leaving. I also nabbed some prototype gear they were working on for your project. “

_“{You mean the Bracer? I thought it wasn’t ready yet.}”_

“Oh it’s ready, it just needs to be tested alongside the armor.”

_“{Can you contact me through my collar?}”_

“No, but if you grab an earpiece or radio from any patrolling soldier, I can patch you into my private coms.”

The girl smirked and approached the door. _“{Let me know when.}”_

—–

The escape was working better than planned. As soon as Widow gave the signal, the power was cut and the test subjects released. Of course, the base began to scramble to restore power and to re-group. Sombra preferred the pandemonium, tracking her charge through the base. Things only got easier after she nabbed a radio and left her more feral comrades to launch into a feeding frenzy on the poor guard she had taken down. Others followed her lead to freedom, some breaking off and darting through the nearest exit they could find.

It was only when power was restored that Reaper contacted them, by then the uprising was in full swing. Bullets whizzed through the air as he spoke. “Sombra, where are you?”

 _“{Looking for Widowmaker! What are these things?}_ ” Sombra lied, watching the Frenchwoman beside her

“A project. The higher ups want them contained, if not destroyed. Of course, this happens when Akande is facing Overwatch.”

_“{Relax Gabe. We’ll have this mess cleaned up before he gets back.}”_

There was a grunt as Reaper cut coms. He knew Sombra, and he knew what she was capable of. He also knew that she had shady business dealings, and that she’d do anything to further her own agenda-whatever that may be. Letting out a Death blossom, she turned and shadow stepped down the hall. Where Sombra was, was quiet. No doubt she was either staying out of the conflict or she had left. It made sense to check the hanger first. It was the closest afterall.

If he knew Sombra, she was up to something.

Misting along the floor he materialized among side a truck, pausing when he heard two familiar voices. Falling into his Blackwatch training, he peeked around the corner, feeling rage build up inside of him as he recognized the two women in front of him. That scheming bitch.

“Where is she?”

“Relaaaaax, Araña. She’s almost here. Just a few more minutes and we’ll be out of here.”

“And Gabriel, have we not considered taking him with us?”

“He’s too far in with Talon to risk it. There’s still pieces missing but it’s up for debate right now if he was playing both sides of the Talon-Overwatch conflict, or if he lined himself up with a position of power to take them out. Either way he’s a threat.”

“So just us.”

“And Chase, once she arrives.”

“Can she really be trusted Sombra? How do we know she won’t be a liability?”

“Because even though she wasn’t displaying the same smoke thing as Gabe from the beginning, she still displayed traits of that SEP recreation. It’s not half as potent and she’s nowhere near the levels of Gabe’s strength.”

“I don’t think this will work Sombra. What if she’s captured or killed with the others? This all could be for nothing.”

“So they were just a diversion. I figured as much.” Reaper growled rounding the truck and lunging at Widowmaker first knocking her off her feet before leaping on Sombra and lifting her up. The woman cried out as the man grabbed her throat threatening to crush her windpipe. “You two forget who I am and what I can do.”

“Gabriel-“

“Don’t even try Amalie. I told the higher upstart your conditioning was slipping, but as usual they were wrapped up in their own affairs.”

“Is that what was really going on, or is that your perception and bitterness for the similarities to Overwatch talking?”

Before either could speak, several shots rang out, hitting Reaper in the side. He snarled, turning to confront his attacker, finding her almost right on top of him, leaping from a catwalk above him, an LMG on her hand. With a grunt she swung her gun, thrusting the butt of it into his mask, knocking it askew. Gabe recoiled and glared at her with sunken eyes. The sclera had turned a sickening shade of black, his iris and pupil a glowing Crimson. His skin looked tight, a bushy brown and grey flecked goatee doing its best to block the gruesome wound on his left cheek, exposing teeth, flesh and some bone. Several small gouges dotted parts of his cheeks, the scarring glowing an orange red.

For the first time, Widow was able to get a good look at the girl. She had long greasy brown hair that fell past her shoulders, emerald-gold eyes that reminded her of some kind of predator, and a thick triple claw mark shaped scar on her left cheek. The girl was a bit tall, and freckled. Her broad shoulders and bulk either meant that she had some fair muscle mass, or that it was just her natural build.

“What are you, some kind of freak?” Reaper lunged again, but Chase caught his fist and snarled at him, dropping her LMG.

“I was going to ask you the same thing Reyes.” Chase snarled back, smoke curling around her. “You seem to be an expert in that field.”

“Oh fuck…” Sombra muttered from the ground, stumbling as she got back to her feet.

Smoke engulfed both Chase and Reaper, hiding both from view for a few moments as they swirled around each other. A moment later, a tall creature emerged from the smoke, roaring. Razor sharp claws had found purchase in Reaper’s forearm as he reformed, causing the man to growl in pain. He looked up at the beast as he was all but thrown into the adjacent truck denting the side.

He glared as the beast approached, towering over him. Again he lunged, grabbing the beast’s throat with his clawed gloves, drawing a pained roar from the creature. Then he heard it, a loud short series of beeping. The red light on her device’s collar was flashing angrily. Looking up he saw that the beasts’ pupil had seemingly clouded over slightly, her eyes seeming greener than before. Now he understood why Sombra had said what she had. It was at that moment that Reaper knew, he fucked up.

With a roar, she jabbed at his middle, claws pointed outward. The force of her movement drove him off his feet and into the air. As he was thrown back, all he saw was inky black and some sparse red. And the white gleam of razor sharp fangs. She spun quickly, slashing at him, his smokey essence wafting between her claws as he wraithed. Pulling out his Hellfire shotguns he took aim, making sure to protect himself from the volleys of both Sombra and Widowmaker.

He growled inwardly, these were two women, one highly trained assassian, the other with ragtag training. The Third was some kind of experiment who had some makeshift training but with an added feral threat. He had fought Omnics harder than this, smarter, with cold ruthless calculus. Two traitorous women should have been easy –and a quick meal he noted. Dropping his spent guns he pulled out two more as he leapt behind cover. Looking around the edge, he saw Sombra splitting up, Widow refusing to take the high ground by hiding around other vehicles, trying to get a clear shot, and Sombra trying to lure him out while taking potshots. It was a stupid plan. Sombra would be first. It was then that Reaper made his second mistake, realizing it too late.

In the chaos of shooting at Sombra and Widowmaker, he had lost track of Chase.

The moment he realized, he turned to look and felt the beast’s fangs in his shoulder, claws raking into his middle once more. He had little blood left but regardless, sprays of blood stained the blood under him as the beast tore into him, the device on her collar glowing a bright red. He later concluded that when he had begun to fire, the three had split up and dove for cover in an attempt to allow either Sombra or Chase to flank him. When that didn’t work, Chase decided to make up her own plan on the fly. Using the others as bait, she flanked him. Well played, he noted. Certainly worth of Blackwatch membership back in the day.

She was quick in this form, he gave her that. But not even he could sustain his wraith like form for long, and he doubted she could either, despite having more matter than himself. He held his middle, feeling it slowly knit itself back together as she approached, growling threats and pure vitriol at her. With no effort the beast picked him up by the front of his jacket, pinning him along the side of the truck. He chuckled darkly. “Go on then, finish me.”

Chase’s eyes darted around considering the face of the former Blackwatch agent. Without warning she dropped him, dissolving into smoke once more as she became human. “No, you must live.”

“Why? Do you realize how much of a mistake you’re making? We taught you better than to turn your back on a living enemy.”

Chase turned picking up the LMG she dropped. “Gabriel, you still have so much good in you, so much more to accomplish. You can redeem yourself, you just chose not to. Just like me, you still have your humanity despite what you’ve become. The difference between us is that I’m willing to take a stand, I’m willing to do the right thing, whereas you allow yourself to be consumed by petty regret and bitterness. Over what, not gaining the seat of power that you wanted? Let me ask, was it worth it? Is it worth the betrayal of what you once stood for?”

“Seriously? You’re not going to kill him?” Sombra panted, making her way to the truck.

“Leave him. Use it as an example that I have my humanity, that I have compassion and a conscious. I’m not some mindless machine, nor am I a tool of Talon.”

“We’re waiting time, hurry up.”

Reaper silently watched from the ground, refusing to answer as the three women climbed in to the truck and sped off. Who did that girl think she was? Something about her flanking tactic, her words struck him. They seemed vaguely familiar. He couldn’t put his finger on it however.

If she didn’t die now, she’d die when Talon marched against them. Picking his mask up from where it was dropped, he snapped it back into place, willing himself along the corridor. He still had a mess to clean up after all. And there were bound to be fresh should hanging about somewhere..

——-

“Ayye. Mi lobo! No no…. Mi Cristina de la noche? Naaah…. Ohh ohh! Mi cazadora! Yeah.”

“What?”

“Mi Cazadora! My huntress. Don’t you have a word for Huntress in your tongue?”

Widow rolled her eyes and turned back to face the now sleeping girl. She was young, probably in her mid to late teens. Something deep within her felt something, something stronger than annoyance. She supposed it was rage? She couldn’t tell. Reaching over, she pulled a blanket up over Chase, the feeling receding to that of peace, and something else, something that Sombra had once called “warm and fuzzy”.  The girl cuddled closer, seeking out the cooler temperatures of Widow’s body as she suffered in the Mexican heat. The first thing the girl had done upon arrival was shower and eat. She had whined about the heat, grumbling something about long thick hair making the heat worse.

The sniper agreed, the woman needed a bit of TLC after the subhuman treatment in the Talon Facility. Even she had gotten more care and treatment that her.

“You sure have taken a liking to her.”

“She looks so vulnerable. So delicate.” Widow whispered. “Yet she’s so smart and… Good despite what she’s been through.”

“You’re smiling Araña.”

“Am I?” Widow grinned. “Perhaps I’m beginning to feel something again. It feels odd and foreign, but I rather like it.”

Sombra chuckled. “You’re being so motherly.”

“Perhaps I am.” Widow shrugged. “Perhaps I’m lamenting the child I never had or will have. Gerard and I had planned to eventually have children, and we had discussed the possibility of adoption. Perhaps this is my chance.”

Sombra laughed. “You do realize how old she is right?”

“Quoi?”

“She’s 24.”

“Quoi!”

“And she’s Canadian.”

“QUOI? Sombra ton fils de pute! You said she was American!”

“I never said anything about her nationality!”

Chase cuddled closer to Widow, letting out a content sound when she found a rather cool spot. Both women paused to watch, relaxing when the girl stopped moving. “Maybe we should be a bit more quiet.”

“D’accord.”

“And for the record, she just looks young with her hair like that.”

“…..She’s really 24?”

“Born in 2053.”

“Mon Deiu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon the Google translated Spanish. I know next to none. I also apologize for Widowmaker’s French. As a Canadian myself, we had to learn French in school (which is why at some points Widowmaker’s French may use the French Canadian dialect, my apologies native French speakers or any other French speakers. However the last time I spoke it at length was about 8 to 10 years ago (French Immersion), and even then I was better at verbal than written. However the old expression of “You don’t use it, you lose it” rings true.
> 
> Also because I’m at school most of the time while writing this –drive leaves at 5am classes usually don’t start till 8:30- and I don’t have my French-English dictionary, I have to rely on google Translate, which is fun every time you have to tab in and out of apps on iOS. Yes the majority of this was and is written on iOS, and let me tell you, this is an adventure.
> 
> Also Chase was originally supposed to be 19-21 when I first came up with her as I didn’t want her to be close to my actual age. Then I found out Sombra’s age and let me tell you 10 or more years in the difference was a bit too much for me, so I made her older so the gap wouldn’t feel as weird to me.
> 
> At some point I’ll be posting this on tumblr as well as on AO3 once I get my invite, so don’t be alarmed. I’ll try to update them on both sites on the same day.
> 
> Anyway translations:
> 
> Si- “Yes”  
>  Araña- “Spider”  
>  Mi lobo- “My Wolf”  
>  Mi Cristina de la noche? “Creature of the night”  
>  Mi cazadora “My huntress”  
>  Quoi- “what?”  
>  Ton fils de pute- “You son of a bitch.” I honestly think it should be ‘Ta fils be pute’ since Sombra is feminine, I’m not a 100% sure. I’ll have to look it up later.  
>  D’accord-“I agree”  
>  Mon Deiu-“My god”


	2. A Unique Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While laying low in Mexico, Chase, Widowmaker and Sombra sift through data and discuss their next moves. Little do they know what's going on out in the world around them.

“How come Widow can go out but not me?”

“You’d get recognized in your current state. Besides Mi Cazadora, you scream ‘I’m a tourist, please rob me!’ and trust me, Los Muertos would see you as a target. Tilt you head a bit.”

“If not for the collar and scar, I may blend in.” Chase growled.

“Then don’t wear it.”

“Hey sometimes I think I’m fine when I’m really not, so I’d rather keep it.”

“Paranoid Cazadora?”

“That and cautious, I mean you haven’t seen me when my anxiety really kicks in. Besides, no need for a fancy device when this works fine.”

“Mm… damn you’re simpler than me. I always have to have the latest tech.”

Chase shrugged. “So how do we bleach it?”

“Don’t worry chica, I’ll show you how. You know, I’m surprised you asked me to do this.”

“Considering you dredged up my old photos from god knows where, I’m more surprised that you didn’t see it coming.”

“What are you two doing?” Both women looked up towards the doorway as widow stood there, arms crossed in a disapproving motherly glare.

“Hey Widow.”

“Hola.”

“Well?”

“Let’s just say she had a bad case of split ends….. And we’re getting creative.”

“Really? That’s almost as short as yours Sombra!”

“To be fair…” Chase held a finger up. “I have had it shorter than this before. I had a Mohawk once.”

“I’ve seen the pictures and it looked hot.” Somba fanned herself. “Dios Mio.”

Widow shook her head and walked away, putting the groceries away, ignoring the younger woman’s blush. “Honestly, dad went MIA, and mom up and abandoned me. She was arrested sometime after that, and I spent many years on the streets… after some issues.”

“Explains why Talon went after you, no connections, no one to miss or search for you.”

“That and from what I’ve read, they needed test subjects and tried to avoid high profile people.”

“High profile people?”

“Yeah, like politician’s associates, members of gangs and family members of large corporations…. You know, high profile people.

“How the hell did you open an encrypted file?” Sombra waved a hand, tilting Chase’s head the other way.

“I was browsing the Internet to catch up on the last 2 years’ worth of news and I saw a pop up on your computer when the file decrypted. Decided that if it was done to me without my consent, then I can read an unencrypted and classified Talon document. Can’t understand all of it but I get the gist. Well that and I knew one of the test subjects whose aunt was the leader of a corporation.”

Sombra had a suspicion that Chase knew more than she was letting on, and she wasn’t like that. “And what can you understand?”

“That Talon’s trying to recreate the super soldier serum used in the SEP and that some sick fuckstick decided to try gene manipulation ontop of it all… that and they somehow managed to recreate Gabe’s condition. That explains how I can shift.”

“Super Soldier serum? This is not Captain America.”

“No Araña, but back during the omnic crisis, they tried some weird shit. Gabe and Morrison were two of the test subjects. It was a success, this is what I meant by the SEP recreation. It could help to explain how they survived Talon’s attack.”

“Quoi!?”

“Wait, you mean Talon was behind the attack of Zurich?” Chase’s voice held a feral snarl.

“Si. They wanted to weaken Overwatch significantly after the deaths of Gerard and the supposed death of Amari, and while tensions rose between Morrison and Gabe, they took the opportunity. It’s purely coincidence that they began to fight on that day.”

“So if Gabe is Reaper, where the hell is Morrison?” Chase raised an eyebrow.

Sombra used her free hand to type something on her holoscreen, showing it to chase. “Ever heard of Solder 76?”

Chase’s eyes narrowed, before her eyes closed with regret. “Christ, I’ve seen him, before I was captured saved him from the Haligonians and the CLP because I know the place so well. I let him stay at my hideout for a bit so he could patch up.”

“Hideout?”

“Yeah, found this old as all hell abandoned Water park resort known as Wolfhead Lodge. A couple of Omnics and I took refuge in there and started cleaning it up a bit. Lucky for us the surrounding area had been abandoned so we were able to hide in relative safety.”

“Then how were you captured?”

“Talon was combing the area for undocumented survivors and traces of Morrison, came across me while I was looking for supplies. I nearly got away but last minute a convoy returned and damn near ran me over.”

“Damn…” Sombra’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Thought Reaper would have been there.”

“He was later, and admired my resolve and my attitude. Thing is, I recognized him by his weapon choice, and some of his training methods. I’d seen the vids, I know how Reyes moved. Thing is, he knew I knew and he seemed to take joy in the fact until I began to act defiantly.”

“Did he know you could shift?”

“No, but he knew that the Serum had started to work because I was displaying all the signs, he knew that I was testing things. He knew I wanted to escape. He actually prevented me from being killed a few times.”

“It’s possible….” Widowmaker broke her silence. “That Gabriel was attempting to save your life, make you become an apprentice of some sort as not to waste Talon’s efforts. He has that kind of influence. Akande also appreciated good talent.”

“Hmm, he must be livid that the three of us escaped.”

“Akande… You mean Doomfist don’t you? The successor, the one who damaged Tracer’s Chrono accelerator?”

“What?” the older women exchanged a look. Putting down her things Sombra make a quick search and pulled up what she needed. “Dios mío! This won’t have any good implications. Not even the Ape could stop him this time?”

“Sombra make sure the UN doesn’t see that.”

“Since when do you give orders?” Sombra ruffled Chase’s now short hair, cybernetic nails gently scratching at her scalp. Chase leaned in towards her touch.

“Since we know that Talon’s infiltrated the UN and had a hand in shutting down Overwatch, also since we know what Talon’s trying to do? There’s corrupt leaders that I KNOW you have dirt on Sombra. Lumerico, Volskia, Vishkar…. I know you’re not just sitting on that information Sombra. You have your own Agenda, I get it. But at the same time, We can’t Let Talon get away with what they’ve done. Also because this footage won’t help our end game.”

“We don’t have the resources or the man power Mi Cazadora.” Sombra sighed hiding any records of Overwatch’s involvement with Doomfist’s recent Escapades. “That will take time.”

“Not quite. We have the manpower, we just need to convince them.”

“You mean reforming Overwatch.” Widowmaker cut in. “That breaks the Petras act.”

“I’m not Overwatch, nor am I Talon, but I will make a stand. The Petras act was formed partially by Talon so they could operate unimpeded, not only that but I bet if we dig around, we’ll find some conflict of interest and a few other unethical and non-compliance practices. Look at us, We have the world’s most renowned and best hacker, a now former Talon Sleeper agent that knows a lot about it’s members, training and methods, and me, a freak of nature who was a liability to them anyway. We all know that Overwatch Agents have been operating despite the Petras act because no one else will. It won’t be hard to convince them.”

“True. The monkey issued a Recall of all Overwatch Agents and Talon even took a few off the list.” Widow murmured, as her mind began to run through scenarios.

“If we could set up a resistance, we may have a chance. I will take some time, but I think we could pull it off. Hell we need all the help we can get.”

“I have a few favors to call in then.” Sombra dusted off Chase’s shoulders and sauntered over to her computer. “The first place we can gather support is here in Mexico. The Los Muertos will be a hard nut to crack, but if we allow them to take Talon gear, we could take power away from them. Now I see why you want me to hide the footage of Overwatch and Akande.”

“Won’t help if we want to bring the team back together.”

“What about in Australia? There’s the two Junkers hat caused havoc all over the world.” Widow offered.

“Russia, if we omit Volskia’s dealings, we could gain support from the country if we prove that Talon has been provoking and causing the second Omnic crisis. We may have a leg up.” Sombra added as Chase leaned over and pulled something up. “Hey-“

“List of Overwatch Agents. If I do all the contact work, they should trust me more so than you guys. I am a victim remember, and I wouldn’t have been if Overwatch had been around. Also if we make random hits on Talon, we may catch the attention of Overwatch and the UN, forcing them both to act. We need to throw Talon off, keep them off their A game. Use Blackwatch’s tactics against them.”

“I like it.” Both women grinned. “But who first?”

“Go by the list of agents and Talon mission reports.  First let’s start with Blackwatch members. The two biggest and most Active are Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada. They were also on a personal level with Gabe so they can help us counter Gabe’s training. I’d go for Liao but there’s no Data on him since his last check in before Zurich. No response to the recall either.”

“There’s the Shabali monk that travels with our Ninja friend. He may help.” Sombra offered. “I also have reports of two more omnics. There’s the modified OR-15 in Numbani that was created to help fight Akande, and apparently a Bastion is located somewhere in Sweden. Well three if you count that Omnic whotried to track me down with the Russian.”

“We’ve also reached out to the Shimada clan.” Widow pointed out. “To Hanzo first off. He declined and vanished again. Then there’s the Korean and her Mech, and the DJ.”

“Small groups ladies.” Chase pointed, selecting the portraits to both Genji and McCree. “Sombra, if we open a joint call to them, can you hide our signal? I don’t want to be traced.”

“Who are you talking to again?”

“Just checking.”

Sombra grinned and typed a few things in as the coms opened. “Untraceable.”

There was silence before McCree’s videofeed lit up first. _“’{Ello? Who’s this?}”_

“Jesse, we need your help… and Genji’s when he picks up.”

_“{Who the hell are you? How did you find my contact information?}”_

“Blackwatch protocols, that and I always figured you never gave up your coms. Two for two.”

_“{What’s going on McCree? You broke our Meditation.}”_

_“{I didn’t call shit!}”_

“Hey!” Chase snarled, “I’m the one who called. Listen do either of you remember your Blackwatch training?”

_“{Why?}”_

_“{….}”_ Genji refused to answer.

“We’re taking on Talon and we need help using their tactics against them, that and because we know you’re going against Talon anyway.”

_“{You’re asking to break the Petras act.}”_ Genji hummed.

Jesse laughed. _“{I thought I was the only one who noticed Talon using Blackwatch training. Someone on the inside gave them the training-}”_

“Gaberiel “Reaper” Reyes.” The three women replied.

Silence then.

_“{No way….. He’s dead.}”_

“Non. He is very much alive. Talon offered him a position sometime after the Swiss base. He has gained a high position within the organization.” Widow offered, drawing a growl.

_“{What the hell are you doing in this call!?}”_ Jesse roared, a short burst of Japanese coming from his end. Odd…

“I’m Designation HK 304-8C, former Talon experiment, escaped with the help of Callsigns Sombra and Widowmaker. I’m looking to take down Talon with any means nessacary. I have confirmed the identity of Reaper personally by yanking his mask off while in combat while we escaped” Chase popped her knuckles. “The three of us have the unique position through Sombra to see practically all angles and perspectives.  I know you two were recalled and we can provide any documentation you want or need. Right now the three of us have gone rogue from Talon. If you don’t want to help so be it, but we’re letting you three know so that you’re aware that we’re operating and moving to set up a taskforce to take them down.”

_“{You say you’re creating a movement, what is it you wish to achieve?}”_ An calming omnic voice came from Genji’s side.

“The shutdown of Talon, to bring to light their past and current actions, which included their involvement with the Zurich base during the fall of Overwatch. I’m asking any recalled and active Overwatch agents because there’s an added risk. Talon has gained limited access to Overwatch’s agent database and has been taking action to prevent a full restructuring of Overwatch.”

“You really got into my files didn’t you?” Sombra huffed. Sombra hated not having control, and messing with her tech was a surefire way to get shot… unless she liked you.

“Don’t care Sombra. Right now if we put our cards on the table even if we can’t act, someone will know.”

_“{That is the issue}.”_ An accented voice came from Jesse’s side, moving closer to the coms. _“{Genji and I failed to completely destroy our Father’s empire and those who survived had accepted Talon’s deal in my stead.  They have been attempting to locate two people rather close to Genji and are attempting to acquire them. I recently found out myself through an…. Inside source}.”_

_“{Hanzo?}”_ Genji called. _“{Why are you with McCree?}”_

_“{Long story.}”_ Jesse waved off. _“{Well so long as you’re providing information, let me tell you something I heard. Helix security is making a move in Egypt, apparently a combination of activity at the Temple of Anubis and Talon. Mercy had taken off to meet Freeaha Amari.}”_

“Huh! That’s not far from the Necropolis. Shrike and 76 are nearby then.”

_“{Who?}”_

“Ana Amari and Jack Morrison.”

_“{Those fuckers survived too? Good Christ.}”_

“We have to move fast. I’m heading to Egypt, I have an idea.”

“Que?”

“Non. You have little to no military training. You’re ill prepared to take on Talon by yourself, let alone to encounter Amari and Morrison. Amari will take you down as soon as look at you.”

“Like her eye Widow?”

Sombra winced. That was a sore spot.

“She hesitated, and I fired. My conditioning was imperfect at the time, and I was wavering. Luckily for us, my aim was off. I thought she was dead, but now, I’m glad she survived. I am remorseful that I had been used against her in such a manner and that I was directly responsible for taking her eye. Her eyes always were a lovely shade of Brown.”

“I think I’ll be fine. Remember, during the 40’s and the omnic Crisis? Different religions rose and fell, and some ancient ones had a resurgence. One of them being Ancient Egyptian traditions. Now tell me, what do I look like when I shift?”

“Some kind of unnatural –no offense- beast or demonic entity.”

“Right, now what traits from the Genetic splicing do I display more of?”

“Candid.”

“And of those, which is prevalent and relevant to my plan?”

“I don’t know… you have Jackal in there somewhere….”

_“{Anubis…. Hold on darling, are you sayin’ you can change into Anubis or something similar?}”_

Chase smirked. “Essentially. If we do this at night and I can make a few… adjustments, we may be able to pull the wool over the eyes both Helix securities, and Talon. At the very least we can spread confusion.”

“I don’t pity you. You Canadians seem to melt in anything over 30 degrees.”

_“{Before we go any further, I think it would be wise to get some information from you}.”_ Genji pointed out. _“{Do you have a name or callsign we could refer to you as? We can’t just call you ‘the girl’, it’s impolite.}”_

_“{Since when did you care about being polite?}”_ Hanzo grumbled, making Chase snicker.

_“{I always have been. Ladies man, remember?}”_ Hanzo made a noise that was a cross of exasperation and disgust. Jesse seemed to share the sentiment. Chase snickered. She had a theory and if it was right, she had them already pegged.

Chase hesitated, she didn’t want to give out her name, but at the same time she didn’t have a callsign. Well she had one but she had never used it because not only had she never been active in combat, and Talon had been the ones to give her the callsign.

But then again, it could be symbolic.

“My callsign is Hunter, expect to hear more about me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I do have a design for Chase but I’m still working on finishing the art for it, so You’ll have to wait a bit unless i post the WIP.
> 
> Mi cazadora- “My huntress”  
> Los Muertos- “The Dead” referring to the gang  
> Hola- “Hello/hi”  
> Dios mío- “My god”


	3. The God Anubis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month of careful planning, Chase, Widowmaker and Sombra make their first move expecting complications. However once things start going sideways, it's not in a way they expect. 
> 
> Widowmaker refuses to admit it, but she rather enjoys her banter with Chase.
> 
> Some content mentioned here are nods/cross reference to other fanfics that I've written but have yet to post that are related to this timeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I relied on my history classes for some of the Egyptian rites, while trying to come up with a creative solution for how they could have been preformed in the story. To be honest this whole chapter and scene was one of the first things i had planned and came up with when i first thought of writing this series.

Unfortunately for Chase she had been unable to leave right away, but with a bit of preparation she was able to set off with Widow. Sombra had insisted. What the Women didn’t know was that Chase had more training than the expected. Combined with Widow’s careful instruction and the joint operations with the Los Muertos, Chase’s skills grew, allowing her to become creative on the field. However they quickly discovered that sometimes Chase had a problem with taking certain orders. It had caused trouble a few times, but Chase caught on quickly, but made it clear that she wasn’t happy with it.

Finially when their flight took off a month later, Chase had made contact with DVA and Lucio. Lucio hadn’t exactly been a tough nut to crack. As a matter of fact he had willingly agreed to join her after finding out that the Vishkar was the least of his worries. DVA however…

The Streamer thought it was a joke.

Chase had grown frustrated, pleading the streamer to believe her. It wasn’t until she saw Lucio in chat one evening that she calmed down.  

“I’m thinking about Foxtrot or Lupin ball, you know a bit of retro gaming stuff. Also for anyone in the chat, Dash is the nephew of a really good friend of mine. Feel free to send him some love. On Friday it will be me, Dash, Lucio and a friend from Helix Security and her girlfriend who will be on stream playing one of those two games. Maybe DK will join in with Dash?”

_“Maybe Hana. I won’t play but I will try to monitor. You know who may get on our case… unless you want Ryu to join us.”_

“Hey the more the merrier DK. Not sure about Voicechat with Dash there.”

_“We’ll talk about that later. Don’t abandon your viewers or your stream.”_

“I haven’t!”

_“Hey Hana!”_

“Hey Froggo you just missed my announcement. Dash’s aunt got into a spot of trouble so he may be playing with us in a few night’s time.”

_“Yeah I heard. listen… have you gotten any weird messages?”_

“Who doesn’t?”

_“I mean during stream. Check your DMs.”_

Silence as DVA read her messages, watching the timer for the next match. Suddenly her eyes widened as she looked into the camera.

“How the hell did you find out? I only just found out.” Hana rolled her eyes, reading over the rest of the message. “Lucio, are you serious?”

_“Trust me. This is BIG.”_ Lucio’s message flashed across the screen. Chase had to thank the two’s stardom for the cover up. The chat was speculating a big collaboration. Oh it was a colab alright, but not one they expected.

“Ok fine, After the stream I still have another 20 or so minutes.”

_“Hey 404 you still there? I’m adding you.”_

Chase snickered. “Thought I wouldn’t be found?”

“Nerds!” Hana called, missing Sombra’s identical chat message. Of course Sombra would be there. Atleast she had a common decency to help the mods out in chat, making sure to ban or warn people that were falling between the cracks.

While waiting for the stream to end Chase pulled up her list. She had managed to track down the Bastion in Sweden and Orisa. Orisa was on the fence, while the Bastion had… well he was hard to read but he didn’t seem impressed by the revelation but had agreed to join them as soon as they could pick him up.

Sombra however had been less than impressed.

_“{Bastion units killed my familia, you realize that right?}”_

“You’re getting salty over the fact that we have one of the most recognized omnic units on our side? Have you seen him? He loves nature and has a pet bird! The thing would rather run from conflict. I think you have bigger fish to fry there Sombra. Besides, think about how many Talon soldiers bore witness to the Omnic crisis. He has his advantages.”

The Mexican harrumphed. _“{You’re lucky I like you. By the way I came across something with my feelers. It appears that you’re not the only one trying to revive Overwatch. Some chick in the UN is trying to do the same. Nice Alias, totally not trying to avoid a conflict of interest.}”_

“Huh?”

_“{Her father was a high ranking officer in Overwatch. Last name Morrison.}”_

“Wait Jack had a daughter?”

_“{He kept his family off all of his records. They are blood relatives however.}”_

“Codenames?”

_“{Lilly. She’s not bad looking, but I’m setting my sights elsewhere.}”_

“Thanks babe.”

“You two are so full of yourselves.” Widow groaned.

“She must be having a real time trying to convince the UN.” Chase chuckled, biting at the skin on her finger earning a kick form Widow.

“Arrêtez vous.”

“Va te faire foutre” Chase countered flipping the sniper off.

“Regarde ta bouche.” Widow reached out to smack her, missing as the girl dodged.

“Putain de merde.” Chase rolled her eyes. “You’re not my mom.”

Sombra cackled over the coms. _“{I feel so left out, but even I can tell you’re giving her shit!}”_

“Benefits of living in Canada. You’re forced to learn the fucking language. I’d rather understand Spanish or that Omnic script. I don’t know what you were saying for the past few days but… Whoo.”Chase pulled at her shirt, fanning herself.

“You do realize she was reciting a grocery list right?”

“What!? How the hell did you make that sound sensual???”

_“{Araña!}”_ Sombra bellowed. _“{Why!?}”_

“Because as amusing as it was, it ruins the mood.” Widow smirked. “Also you two are too horny for your own good. Really, half the time I see you tow, you two are practically undressing one another with your eyes and fucking each other!”  

“Well it damn well ruins it now!” Chase huffed, turning her attention back to the  screen before her. “Not like French…. Seriously… Quel putain??? That doesn’t translate. Are you telling me that you have to do the whore to consider it a fuck?”

Sombra was too busy laughing to respond.

“You just haven’t spoken it for long enough.” Widow assured. “That and you’re using a Canadian Dialect.”

Chase looked Widow dead in the eye. “Le français est une connerie.”

_“{OK, now that one I get!}”_ Sombra wheezed between breaths.

“Breathing is good Sombra.  Uh…. No te apagues?”

Sombra laughed harder. _“{That didn’t come across as intended.}”_

“Don’t pass out on me then!”  

——————————-

Lucio had been successful in convincing Hana to join their cause, though she was wary when the girl explained her situation. Both Widow and Sombra had taken potshots at her and her Meka on several occasions. She also didn’t like the fact that Chase had so many cards that she was refusing to show.

But then again, it was because they had just touched down in Egypt.

Jesse’s Blackwatch Intel was solid, indicating that he must have still had existing feelers somewhere. No wanted to nor was anyone willing to ask. Between him, Genji, DVa and Sombra, they would be able to sift through and correlate data at a fairly decent rate.

One thing that Chase had hit on the head was the popularity of the ancient Egyptian rites, and what came with it. Widow had been hesitant but quickly agreed to work with a ragtag band of Mercenaries who hid their identities behind masks of the old deities.  The leader of the Group, “Mo” has taken on the Role of Anubis, but upon meeting with Chase and seeing her abilities, they determined that she was much more fitting for the role, and launched into their plan.

The plan was fairly simple. Talon was looking to control the area near the Nile River, a place that was commonly used for the Old rites. Setting up a small costume for chase –and hiding her tail under the lower robe, and her collar under an elaborate neck piece- she seemingly looked like the old God of the Afterlife. The unfortunate thing was that because of the ruse, she was unable to use her armor, and was limited to leaving her bracer with Widowmaker.

Their positions set, they waited for nightfall. Omnics and humans alike gathered at the ritual grounds, knowing full well of the approaching threat. Widow waited several miles away, hidden from both the watchful eyes of the old soldiers and Talon, watching through satellite pictures as the first act began.

According to plan, Talon showed up and began to subdue the worshipers with force. The action attracted Helix securitiy’s attention and their Raptors Squadron took flight. Mo’s brother “Tut” had managed to lift a suit of Raptora armor from their older and now incapacitated brother and had taken his place.

_“{Raptora Ra to Death, Scouting party has lifted off. The Pharamercy is open.}”_

Chase’s eyes zeroed in on the alter, watching the Talon forced the masks off the attendees. “Death to Raptora Ra. I’m in position. Remember to draw attention to me. The waters are getting restless. Death to Araña are you in position?”

_“{Oui. Horus and 76 are awake but their guards are low. Shall I Begin phase Alpha?}”_

“Negitive, wait until things really get underway. We want their coms systems to be a mess as we spread confusion through Talon ranks. That was you three can take out as many as these bastards as possible without firing at each other.”

_“{Doubtful. Horus is still a good shot, even with one eye.}”_

_“{Unexpected development.}”_ Sombra’s voice called down the coms. _“{Talon’s headed your way now Araña. Small convoy. You can’t take them alone.}”_

“Step up our plan then. Raptora Ra, at the first sign of confusion, break ranks and take off for the Nercropilipse. Make sure to leave us enough Transport and leave Helix to clean up the mess. I’m ready to literally put the fear of god in these fuckers. All parties, stand by.”

_“{Raptora Ra standing by.}”_

_“{Araña standing by.}”_

_“{Standing by.}”_

Chase peeked around the corner, looking up. She could see the Raptora unit approaching, with Mercy in tow. Sand scratched her skin as she peeked out further. The offering to the god Anubis sat on the alter, within reach, but she needed a distraction. Looking up at the flames in the pyre, she considered how to extinguish them. She had an idea but she wasn’t sure if she could do it. Unlike Reaper, the HKs had more physical matter, and had trouble wraithing, and shadow stepping completely was out of the question. She wondered….

With a deep breath, she let herself dissolve into the black purple smoke, soaring over the fires and shifting as she took position to infront of the alter. The light flickered angrily and several of the pyres went out, causing a slight distraction. Talon picked up on the now low level of light, training their guns on her now shifted back. They had seen nothing, and could barely see anything in the dark. Chase’s eyes adjusted to the low light, using the moon and the remaining fire to cast her in mystery.

To the casual observer, the alter had been set up to offer the last rite, the rite of weighing the deceased’s heart. Luckily someone had managed to get their hands on a pig’s heart, and at first glance it looked human, but up close one could tell the difference. There was no way any of them would use anything but.

“Identify yourself!” A Talon soldier cried, failing to notice the Raptora party nearly overhead. In the low light she appeared as a hulking demonic mass, which served her well. Using a jumbled mix of Arabic, Latin and her guttural growl, Chase lifted the pig heart into the air, and began to chant.

**“Oh Father Osiris and Mother Nephthys, to you I give this offering, one who wishes to join you in the eternal afterlife. So is my task to guide this wayward soul to the gates of the afterlife, it is also my task to cast final judgement upon the deeds of this soul. As is the tradition of many Millennia gone by I return to weigh this sould’s deeds againt the feather of Ma'at. The feather of Truth will dispel any doubt, if he may enter your kingdom and join his brethren.”**

The whole thing was bullshit and Chase knew she was laying it on thick, but she paused for dramatic effect. Using her voice in this form was near impossible, as she had to rearrange her vocal cords in a way that was between both forms. It made her voice sound akin to Reaper’s, but also extremely bestial. She hoped it was enough, it was hurting her throat to do so, and it was putting a lot of strain on her body doing so.

_“{Holy shit.}”_ She heard Tut whisper over the coms. _“{What the fuck…}”_

_“{I take it neither you nor Mo warned him about that?}”_ Sombra asked. Chase refused to reply.

_“{What is that thing?}”_ Another of the Helix soldiers muttered as Sombra linked them into Helix’s com channel, allowing them to eavesdrop.

_“{I’m only making out every other word.}”_

_“{All units hold your positions, and wait for my command.}_ ” Fareeha’s voice barked, something in her voice made Chase smile. Nice to know she had the Egyptian’s undivided attention.

**“Shall this soul’s heart fall against the feather of truth, may Ammit arise to fulfill her duty, and so the soul be doomed to eternal restlessness!** ” Chase placed the heart upon the scale. There was no way the heart would weigh less, she knew it. Behind her the Worshippers began to chant behind her, chanting for the Lord Anubis to judge the heart. Talon soldiers barked further orders behind her and she heard the safety click off. She was ready.

The Heart sank below the feather. And now came the tricky part.

**“This soul has not been deemed worth to join his breathern in the afterlife. He will not be granted eternal immorality and instead will be damned to wander the desert as a restless spirit for eternity. Ammit come forth!”**

She threw the heart into the air, aiming for the riverbank. This is what it all came down to.  It was now up to fate.  At first nothing happened as the shadow of the heart was silhouetted by the light of the moon. Nothing happened. Looks like it would have to come to plan B-

Then it happened.

A large crocodile‘s head emerged from the water, snapping up the heart and landing with a splash. The action was followed by more splashing as several tails and heads snapped and thrashed in a feeding frenzy. The worshipers cheered crying out a moment later as a singular shot rang out.

Chase staggered, she had never been shot before, but it hurt. However, she let her anger peak she opted for theatrics by turning slowly, the dying flames accentuating several of her features. Her signature ears stood out, her fur looking pitch black in the low light. Green eyes glared from the darkness as her body began to smoke more. She growled, smelling the fear from the Talon soldiers.

**“You dare attack a god? You dare attack the God of the afterlife?”** Chase parted her jaws in a feral laugh. She liked this feeling of power, the control. Pointing at the soldiers her lips turned upwards into a grin, all teeth flashing. **“Bring them to me my followers, dead or alive. I will not grant them the eternal bliss of which they seek, for such insolence and blatant disrespect.”**

Talon didn’t stand a chance.

Between the now angry HK specimen, Helix security and the several armed Worshippers, chaos reigned supreme. Chase was right as she showed no mercy, lashing out at the soldiers in a controlled rage, throwing them into the river, relishing as the water turned crimson. The unarmed worshipers fled, screaming about the Demon who took a god’s form, terrified for what they had done. Above her Tut broke ranks, flying after some of the retreating Talon operatives. Showing no quarter, he aimed his rocket launcher as several of the jeeps, pulling the trigger, engulfing the machines in a hellish inferno.

_“{Araña to Death, You have Talon and Horus’s undivided attention. Picking off approaching Talon forces.}”_

_“{Looks like a warzone from up here!}”_ Tut Cackled. _“{Damn stir that pot bitch!}”_

Chase roared, looking to the remaining vehicles. The mercs ran for it, hoping to make it to the vehicles but stoped dead in the tracks when Talon threw frag grenades out. _“{Shit!}”_

_“{Plan C!}”_ Sombra shouted. _“{Raptora Ra, Death head to the rendezvous point and meet up with Araña. Lure in the Pharamercy.}”_

_“{Rodger.}”_ Tut spead off, heading for the navpoint. Chase was in hot pursuit. With a crackles of static, Chase heard Phara’s cries over the coms. She was pissed, sadly Chase couldn’t make out a word she was saying, until both her and the good doctor sped off.

_“{LT. Mousely  fall back in!}”_ Pharah ordered, speeding after the man. Chase howled as the man cackled, speeding over the desert floor. He was enjoying this far too much. Dissolving once again into smoke, Chase followed, following the river to a point, then breaking off. She could hear little else but the rushing wind and the crackle of static as her coms crackled and attempted to transmit.

A loud crack split the air as Chase’s sensitive ears picked up the sound of the Widow’s Kiss up ahead. She was running out of time. She couldn’t keep up this smoky form much longer. And even then she’d be somewhat drained after resuming either form.

Fuck she’d been hoping to use transport.

Her shoulder ached where she’d been shot, and she was growing exhausted. She was hoped this wouldn’t take too long.

Fuck this.

Reforming, Chase dropped to her human form. She was still a fair distance, but she could at least preserve her energy. “Hey Babe, how far ahead are they?”

_“{You can’t do that smoke thing?}”_

“I still haven’t got the hang of sustaining it for long yet. This is as far as I got.”

_“{Well this hasn’t been a complete waste. Talon’s confused, and it’s causing a stir in the local population. Helix is scrambling to gain control and our old friends are moving on Araña’s position.}”_

_“{I’m also trying not to get shot.}”_ Widow growled. _“{Which is hard considering the old man has rockets, a hitscan, and there’s two Amaris, one with explosive rounds, and the other a sniper with aim as good as mine.}”_

“Would help but I’m kinda stuck.” Chase mumbled trying to jog her way through the sand.

_“{There’s a jeep about 20 meters from your position. It’s damaged but seems to still be operational.}”_ Tut mentioned. _“{I’ll try to keep Talon and Pharah off Araña until you get here.}”_

“Copy that.” Chase nodded, changing direction and heading for the jeep. “Why did they give it up?”

_“{One shot, one kill.}”_

“Ah, gotcha.” Chase rolled her eyes. At least she knew it wasn’t bait. Sneaking up alongside the jeep, chase headed for the left side, groaning once she realized the driver’s seat was on the opposite end of the car. “Hate to sound American, but why can’t everyone have the driver’s seat on the same side as everyone else?”

She swore Sombra had begun to snicker.

Pulling the Talon soldier’s body out of the jeep the climbed in and put it in gear. This would beat walking, and it had the added bonus of having a bit of water and a few ration bars. Chase didn’t trust the open water, but ration bars may help.

“God team, how are you holding up?”

_“{They took out a few but most of us are still ok. The Omnics are extremely creative.}”_

“Do I even want to know?”

_“{Prrrrrrrrrrrrobably not.}”_ Mo’s tone alone was enough to indicated that no, no one wanted to know.

Chase looked up seeing the fires of the abandoned temple. Widow had gotten herself high, and Tut was flying around trying to help take the heat off the sniper. Phara was zipping around like an annoying fly as Mercy stayed close.

_“{Pharah, another jeep has arrived.}”_

_“{Oh god…}”_

_“{Get out of there Hunter.}”_ Sombra warned as Chase slipped out. _“{If Amari doesn’t get you her daughter will.}”_

“I’m trying!” Chase growled, pulling her LMG out. Checking her pulse rounds, she snuck up the embankment, cutting corners as she went, grabbing her bracer and slotting it on, pausing several times to Sombra and Widow’s ire.

“This bracer’s heavy and awkward, ok!?” An explosion nearly sent her off her feet as Pharah’s rocket slammed into the wall behind her. “Fuckin hell!”

_“{Then keep moving!}”_ Both accented voices screamed at her.

It took all her willpower not to shoot at Pharah, instead heading for the back line of soldiers. She enjoyed high output, rapid-fire weapons. Miniguns seemed fun, but they were too big and heavy.  The LMG was a great runner up.

Another crack went off, this time Chase was ready and ducked behind a wall. That wasn’t Widow, had to be Amari.

_“{Unloading!”}_ Tut called, climbing in height.

“Carpet bomb the fuckers!” Chase roared, hearing a warning chirp from her collar.  

“Rocket barrage inbound!” She hear Tut overhead unloading his suit’s rocket reserves. Chase ducked her head, missing the sound of approaching footsteps. A moment later something red shot out, grabbing her by the collar. Chase yelped and moved, finding herself staring into a glowing red visor with the old Soldier’s gloved hand now around her throat instead.  Damn it she hated getting flanked.

“Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?” He rasped, pointing the barrel of his rifle into her side. However at that moment, there was a flash of red.

One thing that both Talon and Sombra had discovered was that under various types of stress, the HKs would react differently. The devices on the collars were the indicator of what kind of stress the subject was under and how it was affecting them. Typically the closer to red the indicator light became, the more likely the subject was forced to shift due to negative stress. Chase’s collar indicator had turned a solid red. She wasn’t in danger of a forced shift but she was close. Looking into her eyes, 76 noticed how blank they had gotten. They were glazed over, wide and unblinking. The Thousand yard stare was looking him right in the face. Grabbing her so quickly and by the throat had been a bad idea.

Chase lashed out grabbing him by the arm as her rage peaked again, teeth turning sharp as she gave into her feral instincts. 76 tried to get away, failing to break her iron grip. He tried to twist away, only succeeding in adding to the momentum the woman was trying to build up. With a guttural howl Chase shifted, throwing the old soldier into another Talon Soldier. She bellowed as both 76 and the soldier scrambled to get away, both ending up under the now large furred beast. Chase spread her claws slashing and tearing at the two , her bracer weighing less in her shifted form as she tore into the men.

At that moment there was a loud sickening crunch of metal giving and a loud blast. Looking up Chase felt her stomach plunge into the depths of the void. Pharah’s jet propulsion system had taken a direct hit. And she was plummeting.

“Fareeha!” Mercy cried above them, watching Tut enter a nosedive to save her.

_“{Merde!}”_

_“{CHASE!}”_ Sombra screamed into the coms, as the indicator began to flash red, a high pitched beeping sounding as the woman snapped.  The beast tore into the soldiers to shreds trying to get through them to catch the two. Even if Tut managed to guide them safely to the ground they were right above a large pit in the middle of the temple. If they hit the ground near the pit they’d at least survive, as there was no way Tut’s rockets would be able to carry both himself and Pharah out of that pit.

Using what momentum she had Chase took the ultimate leap of faith forward.

**“Not today.”**

She collided with both armored soldier knocking them back and onto solid ground. The force of which they hit the ground was unforgiving, and she hear Tut’s armor crack under them and his cry of pain.

Several more shots rang out, catching Chase between the shoulder blades with a pained roar. She curled up, trying to protect the two soldiers, looking back warily. A Talon soldier had flanked them, but that’s not what bothered her. She knew that scent.

It was Avery O’Toole.

He was a sadistic son of a bitch who had tortured her during the program, the very man who had managed to pin her down when she was kidnapped. Hell he had even set her upon a completely feral HK for his own amusement, knowing the situation. Chase’s paw reached up and traced the scars on her face. The fucker was here.

Avery knew who we was before he even saw her collar. No one had facial scars like Chase. “Chase Danielle Edwards…. No what am I saying…. You’re designation is HK 304-8C now isn’t it? I was wondering where you got to. Tell me how’s Sombra and Widowmaker?”

The man backed away as Widow fired a warning shot as him, missing on purpose.  With a grunt she landed near Chase, helping her off the injured soldiers. “I’m right here you cretin.”

“You never miss huh?” Avery’s teeth glinted in the firelight.

“Only twice. Once when Sombra set things in motion in Russia and my first miss was with Amari, luckily for me.”

“Oh Reaper told me about that.” Avery pointed his gun at Widow’s chest, smirking as Chase stepped infront of her snarling from the back of her throat. “Awww you trained the little guard dog have you?”

Chase roared in defiance, her collar beginning to strobe red violently, as Widomaker spoke. “She’s more than the tool you bastards turned her into and we’re working to keep her out of your hands.”

“Then this works in Reaper’s favor. You three really fucked him over.”

“Wait, you went rogue?” Pharah couched, getting off of Tut as Mercy landed next to her.

_“{Listen pendejo I was using Talon, and right now, you’re barely of use to me anymore. I’m not going to let you make another Widowmaker out of the hundreds of test subjects you kidnapped. I’m so tempted right now, to let Morrison, Amari, Amalie or even Chase turn you inside out, especially considering what you did to her.}”_ Sombra swore, tapping into his coms so everyone was on an open channel.

“Ah, the Mexican bitch appears, I was really hoping you’d be here so I could put you out of your misery but-” Avery started, suddenly trying to back away as Chase lunged. He grinned, only for his smile to falter a moment later as the claws on Chase’s Bracer extended and punched through his chest.

Chase put her muzzle in his face and growled, too weak to attempt to speak. Huffing, she put her foot onto his chest and pushed, pushing the bastard off her claws. Turning her back as the man collapsed she paced back to Widow whining lowly in concern as she saw a much older Egyptian approach from the far left. She had her gun trained on Widow’s head, a deep frown in her features. Chase waved to her, watching the woman pause, looking behind Chase. Chase turned, blocking Widow’s view temporarily, unknowingly doing the one thing that saved the woman’s life.

A single shot rang out as pain exploded in Chase’s chest. Chase screamed, but instead of sound she only hear  a high pitch ringing in her ears as she fell backwards, her form dissolving once again as she shifted back involuntarily. She felt heavy, confused and even… extremely tired.

Her world went black as she collapsed.

_“{CHASE!! **CHASE! DE PUTA MADRE!** }”_ Sombra screamed, lights flickering aggressively before going out around the field as she raged. “{ **APAGANDO LA LUCES MOTHER FUCKER!** }”

“Personne n’échappe a mon regard.” Widow hissed in agreement, turning on infrared and taking the all too easy shot on Avery’s smirking face. He fell with a satisfying thump, and normally Widow would have taken pleasure in it, but today she was livid, and worried. Chase had taken the bullet for her, and if Widow was right, it hit her near her heart, at beast and at worst went through it. Turning around, she could see Mercy trying to revive the woman.  “Any luck?”

“Non.” Angela looked up at the French sniper, for the first time seeing fear and regret on her face. “Fatal shot.”

Widow couldn’t make out the words Sombra was sobbing. She looked to the Swiss doctor pleading as she swallowed her pride, and knelt before her, the other soldiers half heartedly aiming their weapons at her. “I know it means little coming from me but please, there must be something. Anything that we can do for her. She didn’t deserve this. If you won’t do it for myself or Sombra, please…. Do it for Chase.”

“Who was she?” 76 questioned.

_“{An experiment from Talon.}_ Sombra choked, accent heavy. _“{We only got her out four weeks ago and she wanted to stop them. She protected us from Gabriel and… and she’s been working on bringing the old gang together. She’s not like us.She was never really a part of Talon}”_

“You’re taking this hard.” Ana mused as the Merican choked back another sob.

_“{She was my girlfriend. Mi Cazadora. Really she didn’t deserve this.}”_

“She saved our lives ma amar.” Phara agreed. Taking her Helmet off and Glaring at Tut. “And given that these three have gone rogue from Talon…”

“Si vous plait, we’ll do anything, we’ll give you any information we have. Please save her.” Widow begged, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks for the first time in years. “I don’t want to have the death of another innocent on my conscious, not like this.”

Angela considered it, biting her lip and looking down at Chase’s body. They were right, she deserved a second chance if what they said was true. Gripping her staff in one hand she slammed it down and thrust her hand up to the heavens.

**“HEROES NEVER DIE!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Lilly” Morrison is a character my friend made up hence why i’m only mentioning her i passing. funnily enough we both had the same idea about a revival of Overwatch and have been batting ideas around for a good two or more months now. I also have a lot of this pre-written and am Just uploading when i have the time/when i want to. I actually did the outline of each chapter as well as the plot-points over the summer, and even so some of the plot points that weren’t used in their associated chapters have either made it into the drabbles/ deleted stories associated with this series (so keep an eye out for that) or will be added in later chapters.
> 
> Btw, this was written before Mercy's Ult change but in this situation it worked out just fine. 
> 
> Also for anyone who’s curious, I’m following overgosh‘s Overwatch Timeline for events. Between those updates and what Blizzard is pumping out, I’mrying to tie things together as well as figure out when events in my story plot, would happen.
> 
> Also, French is seriously weird. Like really, Chase’s “ Are you telling me that you have to do the whore to consider it a fuck?” comment was my actual thought when I worked on the translation.
> 
> “Arrêtez vous.” [“Stop”/”Stop that”]
> 
> “Va te faire foutre” [“Fuck off”/ “kiss my ass”]
> 
> “Regarde ta bouche.” [literally “Watch your mouth”]
> 
> “Putain de merde.” [“Fuck off”/ “Fucking shit”… strangely Putain translates to “whore”]
> 
> “Quel putain” [“WTF”, literally translating to “What a whore.” French is weird. Don’t ask, I don’t get it either. It’s like Twat meaning “pregnant fish.” How do you go from pregnant fish to genetilia slang???]
> 
> “Qu'est-ce que tu fais?”/ “Qu'est-ce que tu fais au nom de l'enfer?” [literally “what are you doing?”/ “What in the name of hell are you doing?” respectively]
> 
> “Le français est une connerie.” [“French is Bullshit” / more literally “French is a Bullshit.”]
> 
> “No te apagues” [“Do not go off” intended usage was “Don’t blackout on me.” A reference to Sombra’s ult.]
> 
> “De puta Madre.” [“From the whore mother.”]
> 
> “APAGANDO LA LUCES” [“Google translate says ‘turning off the lights’ or something similar. Basically a blackout.]
> 
> “Araña” [Literally “spider”]


	4. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Reyes really needs to keep his mouth shut.

He was in a world of shit.

Akande had come back from his mission and requested a status report and low and behold, a meeting was called. When he walked in, he felt the larger man’s eyes burning into him. He didn’t particularly fear the man, but he did feel uneasy. He sat down and looked at the other high ranking officials filing in.

Once everyone was seated, Akande stood. “I leave for several weeks and I hear that all of you have had your Shortfalls. Not only that but our security was breached. I expected better from all of you. Has my absence really set your standards so low?”

No one spoke. Akande’s gaze turned to Reaper. “Gabriel, I heard that the England research base encountered an… escape attempt. Care to elaborate?”

“There’s little to Elaborate on.” Reaper stood, growling. “One of the subjects escaped and is still at large. The Canadian.”

“It matters not. She was a failure. A 505.”

“You’re wrong.” Reaper smirked behind his mask. “Late onset. She shifted when I was fighting her. From what Sombra was saying when I arrived, she had been shifting for a while without our knowledge.”

There was a murmur around the table as Reaper continued. “She’s able to control her bestial form as well. She made a mistake in not killing me. She was more worried about protecting Widowmaker and Sombra. As a matter of fact, it was Sombra who created the diversion to help cover their escape. I did warn you of Sombra’s extracurricular activities Akande.”

Reaper hated shifting things off himself, but in this case the man deserved it. Akande could see what the former Blackwatch agent was doing and he leaned forward. “I said that I liked initiative in my agents, I did not expect Sombra to turn on us like she did.”

“But I warned you. In addition I also warned you and several of the R&D team that Widomaker’s conditioning was faltering. It would seem as if Sombra knew about that as well.   We might as well consider the Los Muertos and Volskyia a lost cause at this point. Sombra has her fingers in both. As a matter of fact, the Los Muertos have begun to turn against Talon. We’ve had Reports of her in the area working with them. And we were getting reports of… “The god Anubis” appearing in Egypt.”

“And the Agents reporting this?” Akande questioned.

“Dead. Seems like HK 304-8C or Widowmaker took them out… or the Mercs in the area.. Hard to tell, the coms were a mess.”

“She was smart.” The project director stood up. “A bit bossy but effective. She hates leading, but sometimes, she really fits the task. Given enough resources, she would have become an excellent weapon. I had intended for her to be the alpha of one of the HK strike teams provided we had gotten more successful…. Subjects.”

“But now she’s the perfect weapon to be used against us David.” Reaper turned his head. “Not only that but she’s working with Widowmaker and Sombra. That’s a potent mix for trouble as it is without the HK. You’re also forgetting that her father was an Overwatch agent before the fall, so she has strong Overwatch Sentiments.”

“Gabriel.” Akande warned, watching the man. “You speak so highly of her. I’d be careful, you still have yet to bump off many names on the list, especially Amari and Morrison.”

“…” Reaper considered his words. Rienhardt and Torbjorn were known to be alive as well but not as big of a threat for some reason. The founding members were all alive and accounted for…. Except for one member.

Liao.

No one knew where the Chinese bastard went. When it came to stealth training, only Genji and Liao knew how to practically vanish into thin air. Last time Reaper had encountered him was just before Zurich, in which Gabe had threatened to quote on quote _“Gut him like the spineless pile of shit he was.”_ Liao had certainly made note of it, judging by the fact that he had damn near killed Gabriel on the spot.

He was damn lucky that he was wearing his visor. The man escaped with his life at the very least. To this day, he’d been unable to find the man since then. Not even the Monkey’s data base had known where he was exactly, or if he was even alive.

If Zielglar had anything to do with it, he was probably still alive.

“They’re getting old and slow. I expected Morison, but not Amari. If HK 304-8C went to Egypt, chances are, the old dogs were there but have likely left now that Chase is there.”

“Chase?”

Oops.

“I was going to put her to good use even if she hadn’t been able to shift. The SEP serum worked on her even before the onset of shifting, meaning that with enough treatments, she could have been on par with myself and Morrison. Looks like the serum isn’t working quite as intended Dave.”

Reaper hummed. He was leaving out the part about Chase sparing with him and growing close. Widowmaker’s assumption that he wanted to put Chase to good use to spare her life, was right.  When it came to his comrades and squad mates, Gabriel Reyes was passionate and soft. He’d gladly do anything to ensure the survival of his friends. He couldn’t remember how many times he had saved Genji and McCree’s asses because of how much they meant to him. He had felt the same with Widowmaker and Sombra, hell Sombra more so because of their similar heritage. He cared about the lives of his friends.

Except for Liao, the fucker could rot in hell for all he cared. Akande too for that matter

The Project head shifted on his feet and was about to speak when the display screen sprang to life with a loud hiss of static. A familiar purple sugar skull appeared on the screen, this time, it was different. There was a message, and it was in English. It was so unlike Sombra but the message carried a very real threat.

Reaper grinned. If growing up with Mexican parents taught him anything, it was to NEVER piss of a Latina. He had grown close to Sombra and if she couldn’t hack it, she would find a way to make your life hell. Sombra at least kept things interesting.

_“Akande, Dave, you have made the biggest mistake of your pathetic lives. Congratulations. You two are now at the top of my shitlist.”_

___________________________________________

“All these years and you couldn’t even send me one letter to let me know you were alive!?”

“Calm down kiddo.”

“No I won’t calm down! Everytime I turn around my loved ones are coming back from the dead. What, is Osiris handing out free passes or something!?”

Ana calmly sipped her tea watching her daughter’s outburst. Fareeha was pacing the little shelter that her and soldier had setup. Fareeha had managed to wrangle herself out of returning to base that night with Angela, and considering who they were lead too, Fareeha wouldn’t have returned anyway.

Tut was in shit anyway for taking his older brothers armor.  The least he could have done was ensured transport for the morning.

“I had to hide from Talon. Besides, what example would I have set if I returned to you? I wouldn’t have been happy with retirement Fareeha and you know that. And if I hadn’t have hidden under the alias of Shrike, I would not have saved Jack’s ass.”

“Noted.” Jack mumbled against his coffee mug.

“To be fair…..” Widow held her hands up. “I was fighting my conditioning when you shot my visor. I regret taking your eye, among other things. I wish to make things right, if you’d let me.”

“Amalie, we still need to have words when the cub is asleep.”  Ana nodded to Chase who snarled. “I was close to taking you out until you saved my Fareeha. You have my thanks.”

“I’m sorry for grabbing at you as well.” Jack’s blue eyes slid over to the young woman. “I thought you were with Talon, till I noticed your lack of training.”

Chase refused to say anything, looking up as Widow sat behind her and began to ruffle her hair. “Je suis desolé.”

“Wasn’t your fault Widow. I was in the way anyway. I’m damn sure he’d aim for me regardless. I’m more worried about you and Sombra.”

_“{I still want to go over there and hug you tightly.}”_ Sombra’s chair creaked through the coms. _“{That was way too close.}”_

“No emotional attachment Sombra?” Widow smirked and teased. “Isn’t that what you said before she kissed you?”

_“{Fuck off Araña.}”_

“If anything, I want to punch you.” Fareeha nodded to Chase. “For a moment I actually though Anubis was real. You got my hopes up again for nothing.”

“What happened exactly?” Ana looked up at her daughter, ignoring her stinkeye. “We could see the fires and destruction from the roof.”

“I MAY have set up and planned a fake rite to catch the attention of Talon so I could take them out in this sector to help Helix. I also may have posed as the God Anubis to freak them out.”

“Well fun fact… Apparently, some of the worshippers weren’t in on our ruse and snapped some pictures and video. Social media’s ablaze right now. Anubis worshippers are going nuts.” Tut chuckled as he looked over his social media feeds.

Chase was taken aback. “Was I really that convincing? There’s got to be some people debunking it.”

“The fact that Helix is trying to cover it up but can’t, and also because of how you didn’t drop immediately AND the fact that the crocodile ate the heart, is kind of suspicious. The smoke thing, was a nice touch.”

“The crocodile thing almost didn’t work. I was lucky they’re migrating and were starving.”

Fareeah swore in Arabic and glared harder at Chase. “What?”

“I think she’s upset Darling. You see as a child Anubis was her Patron-“

“Still is.” The woman growled, making Chase smirk. “You know this is the second time this has happened.”

“The second? There’s a history of this”

“Gabriel dressed up as Anubis one year for Halloween when Fareeha was a child. She was beside herself. Years later she figured it out and was rather upset.”

“At least hers was more realistic.”

_“{And started a new Urban legend.}”_ Sombra chuckled. Widow and Chase exchanged a look. They knew that chuckle. The Hacker was up to something. What she was up to, neither wanted to know. Sometimes it was best to be ignorant and let things play out.

“Well played, you bitch.” Fareeha finially admitted smirking a bit.

“You know, we could further add fuel to the fire if I took a picture with you.. Hell what if we did it somewhere that had connections with Anubis?”

“Oh dear god.” Tut tried to hide his laughter.

“Well you’re certainly in no shape for that right now.” Angela huffed as she re-entered the shelter. “I just revived you. Mien Gott you’re stubborn.”

Chase shrugged. “Hey Sombra, any word from anyone yet?”

_“{Froggo’s having a touch of trouble with Vishkar in Brazil thankfully he’s out of the crosshairs… DVa’s still out of commission with that arm… Winston is working on getting Bombillia back and Genji’s getting ready to head out to Japan to meet up with McCree and Hanzo.  That Chinese girl –the climatologist- had been poking into the odd drop in crime rates in Lijiang, apparently Talon related. And there’s that Bastion who’s waiting for us to get him. I don’t get Omnic, but the monk said that Bastion’s antsy because the Ikea gnome is suspicious of him and I think he notices that he’s been chatting with us.}”_

“Sombra….”

_“{That was the words the Bastion used, not me!}”_

“Great, a machine that has a sense of humor, and is capable of understanding memes.”  Widow rolled her eyes, continuing to give Chase attention.

“Torb found a Bastion?”

“He’s cute.” Chase shrugged. “He has a pet bird. Poor thing hates conflict though. Apparently Rienhardt nearly had a heartattack when he saw Bastion hiding in Torb’s workshop.”

Ana and Jack exchanged a look. They were so out of touch.

“Ok you said you’d talk so talk. We need to play catch up.”

“Well for me it started 2 years ago….”

____________________________________________

How long had passed this time?

She had no idea. Every time she appeared, she called for help. She couldn’t see any indicators of a time or date, all she knew was that this time, Winston was working on it. That and this time, Emily and Ethan were waiting for her.

Ethan had taken it hard, considering what had happened before her mission. She had anticipated it and at the first chance she had taken her goggles off and had tossed them. She had no idea that it had worked until she saw him wearing them around his neck. By that point he at least looked happier and Winston had him eating. The next time she appeared she was still in Winston’s lab, but no one was paying attention when she zipped in. She had left her jacket behind though on a chair nearest Emily.

They at least knew that she was there.

Another jolt ran through her as her body attempted to re-sync itself to her time again. She cried out. IT had been getting worse lately. She was seriously considering tossing the broken chrono accelerator next time she was thrust back into existence. With shaking hands she reached up and began to unhook the fastenings. She wanted them lose enough that she could fling it aside at a moment’s notice, but tight enough that she wouldn’t lose it to the void.

The visions were getting bad too. Visions of the past and future. She kept seeing the slipstream sitting in a hanger. But it was different most times, weaponized, a bit more advanced. Mostly it was in the dark, abandoned, she had seen that hanger before. Sometimes it was covered in a sheet, other times it wasn’t. She did know that before the experiment, there were plans for it to be weaponized, so was it possible that she was seeing another timeline?

Whoa there Lena, that’s enough sci-fi for one void filled misadventure.

But then again, so was her predicament.

Another jolt hit her followed by a tug. Finally she could toss the chrono accelerator. If she tossed it, it would reduce the frequency of which her body felt that it was being electrocuted. The sound of rushing wind and distorted voices was fading as thing began to turn bright blue. She held her breath knowing that it was a shock to her system whenever she tried to breathe when she appeared or disappeared.

There was a blue flash and she hit something solid.

She groaned. She was on her side, on the floor. Well it beat landing on her head as she had done a few times. There was a loud humming around her as she almost felt completely stable. Ok this she knew. Her mind ran through the scenario. It felt like last time. When she was brought back by Winston. Fear gripped her. Was everything she went through and experienced, just a dream? Was she indeed in another reality?

Open your damn eyes Lena!

First thing she noticed was that the enclosure was different and glowing blue, thrown together out of odds and ends. It was largely unfinished. Looking down she noticed that minus her jacket and goggles, she was still in her normal kit. Where was she?

Looking around she found the source of the blue glow. Above her was her old Overwatch chest piece with her old Chrono accelerator. Ok she had to be somewhere in one of the old Watchpoints then. Pulling the old chest piece off the wall, she held it close, pushing her way out of the door. Yup, Gibraltar. Thank god. But where was everyone?

“Athena?” Lena called out, aware of how dry her mouth was as she pulled off her broken accelerator.  “Athena are you there?”

_“Yes Agent Oxton. Welcome back.”_

“What’s the date. What time is it.”

_“Tuesday August 19, 2077. The current time is 12:10 am Gibraltar time.”_

“A month… I’ve been gone about a month.” Lena looked up sighing. “Where’s Winston?”

_“Outside with Genji. Ethan is currently asleep in his office above you with Emily.”_

“She takin forty winks too?” Lena pulled on the old accelerator. Heavier than she remembered, but effective.

_“Seemingly so.”_

“I’ll wake them myself. Let me take enjoyment in that please?”

_“As you wish Agent Oxton. I’ll alert Winston.”_

Sneaking up the steps, Lena peeked into the office. Ethan lay curled against Emily in a chair, his head resting under her chin. Lena’s goggles threatened to slip down his face as he slept, making Lena giggle a bit. Emily however had her feet propped up on Winston’s tire seat, Lena’s jacket wrapped around her. It always looked so good on her.

Approaching them she reached out and caressed Emily’s face. “Wake up sweet, I’m back.”

Emily groaned, turning her face away and muttering something. Her Irish accent think and masking her words. Lena chuckled. “Aww and here I thought I’d come back to see ya.”

“Lena….. stoppit.” She mumbled softly, waking slowly. A moment later she clued in and she sat up. “Lena!”

“Cheers luv.”

Reaching out with her free arm, she scooped Lena into a tight hug nuzzling her face. “Man alive I thought you weren’t going to come back.”

“An Oxton always returns sweet.” Lena chuckled watching as Ethan woke up. “Hey buddy, miss me?”

“Auntie!” he cried, reaching up and joining the hug. “I missed you to pieces!”

“I bet. Have you behaved yourself while you were here?”

“Yes ma’am.” Ethan leaned forward typing something into the console as the two women nuzzled. “Oi you lot! She’s back!”

_“{Why the hell’re ya callin this damn early for?!}”_

A burst of Korean agreed with the sentiment. _“{Whoa Dash I’ve got that 24 hour charity livestream later, I need my sleep man.}”_

“I know but Auntie’s back!” Ethan insisted as Genji Winston and Zenyatta burst through the door.

_“{Wait what?}”_

_“{Yer kiddin me.}”_

“Would he be this excited if I wasn’t?”

“Holy shit.”

Lena nodded to the new arrivals. “I’d murder some fish and chips. That and a nice pint.”

A third image booted as a group of people crowded around a small device. _“{I’m all for late night calls, but who’s calling at o fuck thirty in the morning?}”_

That voice.

_“{Hunter? That you? Looks like you’re having a party}.”_ Jesse noted as Hanzo wormed his way into the video.

_“{404? Holy shit man, not what I expected. Hey Birdmoms.}”_ Hanna waved.

“Wot?”

_“{Long story. I’m in Egypt.}”_ Chase waved her hand. _“{Welcome back Tracer.}”_

“Uh thanks… but who the bloody hell’re you?”

“Designation HK 304-8C… Otherwise known as callsign “Hunter” or just Chase Edwards. Pleasure is mine.”

_“{By the way Bombillia.}”_ Sombra’s video feed cut in. _“{I wanted to let you know that right now, Akande and The Project director of the HK program are now squarely at the top of my shitlist.}”_

“Um, what’s going on? I’ve been gone for a month lads.” Lena threw her hands up looking at the video conference.

_“{TL;DR I was a Talon experiment and Sombra and Widow broke me out making the three of us Rogue in Talon’s eyes. I’m trying to bring back Overwatch because the UN’s fulla shit and I’m calling on Agents new and old to do so. There’s a war coming and if the UN desn’t get it’s shit together now, then this Omnic crisis is going to make the original Omnic crisis look like a pissing contest.}”_ Chase shrugged. _“{And apparently I’m not the only one who’s looking to revive Overwatch.}”_

_“{I still think you should let it die kid.}”_ Morrison rolled his eyes. _“{There’s no way in hell the UN’s going to back it, if it’s filled with as many Talon operatives from what I can see.}”_

_“{And that’s why I’m here.}”_ Chase countered, looking back at Jack. Hanzo groaned and reached for his phone, frowning a bit.

_“{Let her try Jack. The younger ones have more optimism than us. They bring a fresh perspective to the table.}”_

_“{Commander Morrison and Captain Amari? What deal did you make with the devil to come back from the dead?}”_

_“{Actually that’s what Reyes did.}”_ Jack crossed his arms at the title. _“{Hell he looks like death.}”_

_“{He’s aged well Jack. I always thought he’d look good with a bit of grey.}”_

_“{It’s actually a slight improvement.}”_ Sombra smirked, the little shit.

“Fuckin hell mate.” Lena swore. For the first time she didn’t care about Ethan hearing her let out a few dirty words. Then again, his father had a vocabulary so wide, it could make a sailor blush and Ethan certainly knew a few choice words. “So we’re basically continuing the recall, Petras act be damned?”

_“{Yeah}.”_ Chase shrugged. _“{We’re doing everything and anything we can to make this happen.}”_

_“{Hold on a moment.}”_ Sombra held a finger up. _“{Hey Ninja dude-}“_

“It’s Genji.”

Before Sombra could continue, Hanzo let out a string of Japanese. Genji’s head snapped up. “Nani?”

_“{He’s right dude. Apparently Talon and the remainder of the Shimada clan have tracked them down.  You may want to make a move before you lose your wife and daughter.}”_

“Master I’m heading to Japan.” Genji muttered turning for the door.

_“{Hold on partner, your brother and I are already here}.”_

“You can’t hold them off yourselves!”

_“{We can try.}”_ Hanzo countered. _“{Let this be my redemption. Let me protect what you fought to protect.}”_

“Hold on.” Lena waved. “But how exactly are you going to get to Japan. Furthermore, how are you even going to get them out safely?”

“I…. good point…”

“Thought as much. We have an Orca right?”

“Now hold on-“

“Right Ace pilot. You could sneak us in and back out before anyone notices.”

“Now wait a bloody second!” Emily stood up drawing all eyes to her. “You only just came back, hell you haven’t even gotten a clean bill of health yet and here you are ready to run off again.”

“Athena could fly the Orca sure.” Lena started. “But at the same time, I could be there as a backup pilot. Look I’ll even promise to stay out of the fight. I’ll be in the Orca at all times, no weapons.”

“That makes things worse.” Winston grumbled, picking up the damaged accelerator. “But at the same time she’s right. It will also give me a chance to work on this without being disturbed…”

“But she’ll be left open if someone attacks the Orca!” Emily protested.

_“{Hang on!!!}”_ Chase roared, making everyone jump. _“{Compromise? I’m sure we can maybe agree on something?}”_

“I’m not willing to compromise on anything right now.” Emily huffed as Ethan watched silently.

_“{Hear me out.}”_ Chase raised a hand. _“{I hate to ask this but as it may give you peace of mind and since it will help us out as well, but what if Lena picked us up on the way? We’d lose a few hours maybe sure, but we’d be able to play backup or at the least protect Lena.}”_

Lena hummed and pulled something up on the screen typing in parameters. “With the Orca, it would take about 8-10 hours straight through…. Picking you up in Egypt…. That may add another….. hour or two… McCree how long can you and Hanzo hold them off for?”

McCree looked to Hanzo who stroked his beard. _“{At most we could keep them off Yume’s trail for possible 2-3 days… Realistically… a day tops.}”_

“Any ideas where they are exactly?” Genji asked leaning in.

_“{I’m getting updates from my contact who’s traveling with them. He only found them through methods he won’t mention, but he said he’ll let me know where they are if we need to make a rescue}.”_

“Is he connected to the clan in anyway?”

Hanzo paused and hung his head. _“{Hai, hence why he’s been keeping them on the run. He’s injured but trying to keep moving. Like I said, he’s buying us time for now.}”_

“Momoru keep her safe.” Genji began to pray. “You’d best hope Yume doesn’t attack you, brother. She always said she’d kill you given the chance.”

_“{I’d deserve it.}”_ Hanzo grinned.

_“{You know…}”_ Jack rolled his shoulders. _“{If you don’t mind Lena, Ana and I will join you. Knowing Talon, they’ll send reinforcements pretty soon to flush Ana and me out. As much as I enjoy Egypt, we need to get the hell out of dodge. We can also give support to Genji.}”_

“You lot aren’t letting this go are you?” Emily sighed. “Cor Blimey.”

“Not much of a choice. It’s either that or let Genji crash the ship.”

“That was one time.” Genji turned his head to Lena.

“Still better than Jesse…. And LOADS better than Reyes.”

_“{He could drive better than he could fly.}”_ Jesse grumbled, avoiding the gaze of both Lena and Genji. _“{Anyway, we’d better get out there. Try not to be stupid.}”_

“Coming from you cowboy? That’s rich.” Genji hummed and pushed past Winston.

“I guess I’ll see you lot in about… 5 or so hours.” Lena waved, getting up to say her goodbyes before heading off.

______________________________________________

At least the Mission had gone smoothly.

Not that anyone was complaining much on the way back. Yume was glaring at Hanzo the entire time while Sachi questioned her father and Zenyatta. Ame sat next to his father eying his aunt warily. Yume held no grudge against her nephew as he had incurred injuries for betraying the remains of his clan for protecting his family.

_“//I just want to say that had it not been for your brother, I would have killed you on the spot.//”_ she spat, drawing her husband and daughters attention.

Hanzo stared back, unfazed by her comment. _“//I’d let you do it honestly. I’ve regretted my actions for years and think it would have been well deserved.//”_

_“//Bastard.//”_ She looked away, noticing her husband’s hazel eyes staring at her, his face crisscrossed with scars. _“//What?//”_

_“//Leave it be. He’s on the path of redemption. I’ve long forgiven him. If you cannot forgive, at least forget//.”_

_“//How can I forget you laying in your own blood, forget watching Soba debate between being aggressive towards me and begging me for help? How can I forget having to outfit you with what cybernetics I could get my hands on to keep you alive? How can I forget what you missed, and what he’s taken from you?//”_

_“//Mama//.”_ Sachi grabbed her hand, Genji’s old sword crossed against her back. _“//Please try to make peace with him. Isn’t that what you and papa always tell me//?”_

Yume looked away, knowing she’d been caught. Jesse’s head swiveled, as if watching a Ping-Pong match. No one was sure how much Japanese he knew, but if he had an idea of what was being said, he didn’t let on.

“She has much of you in her my student.” Genji looked up as the omnic gently lifted his head. “I was aware of your fears, but it seems that you’ve been doing well so far.”

“Fears? Of what?” Jesse drawled, chewing on the end of his unlit cigar.

Genji shifted into a sitting position. “I feared that because of what I am now, that my absence would impact Sachi. I feared failure as a parent. I feared that I would do something that would lead her astray. I felt ready, but I was unsure if I was truly ready for this.”

Jack looked up from cleaning his rifle. “That’s the thing about parenthood Genji. None of us are. We go through the first 18 years of their lives worrying about them, wondering if we did a good job, if we screwed up, how to make their lives better and easier. We have our doubts and fears, and we also have to try to parent by the seats of our ass.”

“That may be, but how did they find one another?”

“Our dragons. Mamoru and Yasuo were calling to one another.” Ame spoke up. “I followed Yasuo to Mamoru and realized that they needed help. I wouldn’t abandon them, not now, not ever.”

Lena looked over her shoulder as her hands rested on the controls. Winston and Emily already knew that the mission had been a success, but she didn’t know what was worse, their constant worry about Lena being unarmed, or the looks on their faces when she admitted to keeping a spare pulse pistol under her pilot’s chair.

Not that it mattered having Ana, Jack, and the two Rogue Talon members to help defend her.

Looking over, she saw Widowmaker in the copilot’s chair stroking Chase’s hair, muttering something in French. Lena turned her attention away from the two to be polite trying to carry on her quiet conversation with Emily. Sometimes being silent on a call together was the same as sitting together in silence before speaking about whatever came to one’s minds.

But before Lena could say anything, the two rogues began to speak softly again.  

“Vos cheveux sont bien meilleurs maintenant.”

“J'ai besoin de … Comment dit-on  “Cut it” en français?”

“Coupe-le.”

“Merci. J'ai besoin de le couper”

She didn’t find anything wrong with the younger woman’s hairstyle.. if anything, it looked rather even, if growing out. Not that she’d say anything. Apparently the two had a disagreement on that, why she didn’t know nor did she care.

“Pourquoi laisses-tu Sombra coupé comme ça? Il semble …”

“Say it, I dare you.” The woman pulled away from the sniper gently.

“It’s very unbefitting of you.” Widow eventually admitted.

There was Lena’s answer. She rolled her eyes, of COURSE Sombra would have something to do with it. The two had said little while they waited for the Shimadas and McCree to return, the girl especially. No one had told her much about “Hunter” and outside of the collar, she had been left to her own conclusions.

“Right, why are you two up here?” Lena asked a little annoyed by their mixed banter of English and French. Canadian French was a dialect that she was unfamiliar with. She was about to end the call with Emily when the younger got up, nearly falling into the sniper’s lap, approaching the pilot and making her look up.

“Too noisy and crowded down there. I’m only used to myself, Widow and Sombra. Long story.”

“Which you have yet to tell me.” Ah, there was the saucy Brit in her coming out. She glared, looking up at the woman. “I don’t mind helpin’ others out yeah, but I’d like a bit of information so I know what’s goin’ on and why things are so bloody important. “

The collared woman grinned. She enjoyed a nice verbal spat, with the dry wit of a Brit, it made it so much better. “It’s a long story, and I’ve told it so many times now, that I’m starting to thing that a drink should be mandatory to tell it.”

“Are you even old enough?”

“24, Thanks for asking. Now are we going to talk like adults or are we going to continue this pissing match?”

That struck a nerve. “The fuck’s your problem!?”

“Let’s see… there was the time that mom didn’t treat me like a human fuckin being, the time she abandoned me…. Oh the time where foster care put me in a bad spot, so much so that the first chance I got I lived on the streets. Oh wait no, my problem was getting abducted by Talon, thrown into an British genetics lab and treated like a lab rat for two years just to become some tool, with plans to set me against Overwatch if it was called for. Maybe I’m just sick of explaining my life story to everyone because I never wanted this!”

Chase had started to smoke, much like Reaper. Widow’s grip on her arm meant she was worried about the woman attacking Lena. The other had fallen silent at her outburst. Lena stared up at the woman who was desperately trying not to –wait was she crying?”

“I’ve seen my friends killed, watched as they were dragged away. I’ve been forced to hurt my friends, to attack them, to even fight them. I’ve endured torture when I refused. I’ve made promises to my friends to kill them if they went out of control because they were turned into the same freak I am. I just wanted to be normal. I gave up on wanting to be in Overwatch after it was shut down, but I kept wanting to help out in anyway I could.”

_“It’s not glorious, it’s not heroic, it’s about doing your job over and over and making sure that people aren’t suffering. It’s about doing what’s right Chase. It’s about doing your duty to those around you.”_   A distant memory called out to chase, spurring her on. _  
_

“Maybe it’s because I’m just so tired and disheartened and just so sick of everything, but I know that I have to continue on, even if I have to take on hardship so others may be happy. Because if I don’t make a stand who will? Especially if Overwatch is disbanded… Who’s going to fight to try to make things better?”

Lena paused looking at the woman, who trembled in front of her. Lena was reminded of herself growing up, how she felt when she finally made it into Overwatch. After the Slipstream incident and meeting Emily, Lena had decided to join Overwatch as an agent, because even though something terrible had happened to her, she though she may be able to use it to make the world a better place.

“I’m sorry, I was out of line with my words.” Lena admitted getting up hesitating to hug the woman. “I know I haven’t been through the same things as you but, I have been in your position, so I have an idea how you feel. You’re right, explaining things so often must be draining. If you had a file I could read it’d be more useful. Do you think we can start over uh….”

“Chase.” Widow offered. “Chase Edwards.”

Lena’s ears perked up. “Edwards? You’re Commander Edward’s daughter? Bloody hell he’d box my ears if he heard my words. My apologies.”

“Look can we just forget about this?” Chase looked away. “I kind of want to be alone right now.”

Lena nodded. “Right, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel upset… Oh Bugger, I left the call going didn’t I Em?”

“{It’s alright luv. Now maybe you two could do me a favor before you come back? If we’re all going to be staying here, we’re going to need some supplies.}”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still working on getting a list for the translations. format’s a bit different this time around. It should be complete, I’ll check it later.
> 
> Also Lena’s an aunt! Why because why not? Ethan’s story will be explained in due time. I was thinking for the longest time that if Bastion could contact Sombra, then he must have access to the internet right? So why not add in memes? It’s also partially the fault that Bastion has a lot of sounds in his sound files that sounds like laughing, so i HAD to give him a sense of humor.
> 
> Je suis desolé- “I’m sorry.”
> 
> Mien Got- “My god.”
> 
> Nani- if you don’t know what this means, I’m judging you. It’s Japanese -obviously-, that’s your only hint
> 
>  
> 
> Vos cheveux sont bien meilleurs maintenant.- “Your hair looks much better now.”
> 
> comment dit-on “______” en français- “How do you say _____ In French?”
> 
> Merci. J'ai besoin de le couper.- “Thanks. I need to cut it.”
> 
> Pourquoi laisses-tu Sombra coupé comme ça? Il semble …- “Why do you let Sombra cut it like that? It looks…” (she was trying to say that it looks foolish. Chase’s hair was longer on top with buzzed sides, with steps at her templed/ infront of her ear. You’ll get what i mean once i upload a picture of her. Think of it like a fawxhawk with short sides and back. )


	5. Deceit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not fun to find out that the people you thought you could trust will back stab you as you've always been.  
> Edit: this chapter has been updated since it's original publication.

It didn’t take Mei long to realize something was up.

When the man had crashed into view, she had sworn that she recognized him by his signature visor. She had been right when he had been overpowered and the visor forced off his face. It had been his eyes that she recognized, though they looked like he had some kind of implant or lens over his eyes judging by the orange rectangular designs on his irises. It was confirmed then he yelled “Yuàn shīzi bǎohù wǒ!” which brought forth two large cybernetic Chinese Lions. One of which projected a Barrier while the other exhaled fire at their enemies until Liao helped her to escape the convention, much to her displeasure

The two had had their difference years back when he had stolen some of her research for uses she didn’t know at the time. Even though they had made up and forgiven one another, that didn’t mean that she didn’t want to find out everything that had happened. Especially after he locked his computers.

She had a feeling that the lions had tipped her off. Even though he insisted that he didn’t constantly use the lions to monitor his surroundings.

She had been going through some old pictures when she remembered that before their breakup Liao wore glasses. The man had had hated using contacts, preferring to use what he had always used. But still it was unlike him to not use his glasses while he worked. After all, his implants weren’t rated to improve his sight right?

_“Did you at least choose a visor that won’t fail like last time?”_

_“I see that Gabe has friends in Talon. Good to know.”_

_“Makes me wonder just how much you can see.”_

She knew of his scarred face, how the pigment of his eyes seems a shade lighter and how they also now bore an orange cybernetic design in them. After some coaxing and pacing on Lee's part, He eventually broke down and told her. It was a shock to find that without his implants, he was legally blind. He lost his left eye in the initial fight with Reyes, his right eye badly injured to the point where he could only see plashes of color and light differences. With a full cybernetic left eye and a lense on his right, he could see, although his right eye continued to worsen to the point where his vision was becoming blurry in that eye, even with the lense. They both knew he'd need a cybernetic replacement for his right eye very soon. 

Mei had been upset when he admitted the secret to her, and while she wasn't upset with him -as the incident wasn't his fault- he did hid it from her.  “You’re lucky I love you… Húndàn.”

“Is that my nickname now?” He chuckled as he dodged a pillow moments later. It had been a mere day later when they finally gave back into their feelings and made amends, cementing things in a fit of passion and feeling. However the lazy days of hiding low weren't to last.

With Talon slowly converging on their position, Liao and Mei prepared to move to another safehouse when Lee received a message. A fellow agent had caught wind of Lee's trail and asked him for a favor. Lee had smirked and mentioned that he had already paid the agent back in full some three years prior  by having him released from prison under a wrongful conviction. The agent -Lotus- was in Hong Kong, asking for help to finish what the two had started many years ago.  Lee agreed, offering a safehouse to the man as well while they hunted down a local gang leader who had since allied himself with Talon.Getting out of China proved difficult however. It took a lengthy shootout and a Blackwatch stealth aircraft just to get out of China, but once in the air, they allowed themselves a sigh of relief.

"If we're lucky we can take out fist, The Gold Dragon and possibly Mama Hong. I'm still pissed we didn't get her last time." Lee groaned looking at the new dents in his breastplate and the small holes and tears in his semi armored jacket.

"She's another Gang leader right?" Mei inquired leaning back in her seat, feeling mildly ill.

"Yeah. She kind of looks like the Land Lady from Kung fu Hustle, Only Mama Hong can really kick ass. She's a ruthless bitch and has sat at the top of The White Tiger's shit list for years, along with fist. Long story, ask our Security Chief when we get to Hong Kong."

"I'd like to know how a master thief became a Security Chief. It just sounds ironic."

_"{Well sometimes you have to ask an expert Snow Bird.}"_

"You two are assholes you know that?" Mei retorted as both men laughed.

"You still know how to shoot a gun?" Lee looked over to the copilot's seat.

"If i can't I'll know who to blame." Mei smirked back. This might be fun.  
________________________________________________

  
This was tedious.

Reaper growled lowly. He hated sending out and checking his feelers. Even searching for data on his own was tedious, usually they had left the chore to Sombra. He snarled, even though she was gone, her security still seemed to function on his computer. He guessed it was because she wanted to monitor him and to use him as a backdoor to the Organization’s databanks.

He couldn’t care less.

Looking over the reports, he sighed and glowered at the screen. He had been right, Morrison and Amari had gotten the hell out of dodge after the botched talon operation. This had led to another run in with Helix security and a pissed younger Amari. He had to hand it to the kid, she was a good shot like her mother and he had to give her credit for choosing a good weapon. She was a good squad leader. Humming lowly, he entertained the thought of what if scenarios, wondering what it would have been like if Overwatch hadn’t fallen, if Fareeha has become an agent.

She would have made a fine addition, hell she may have even taken over once Morrison retired.

Reaper had some resources at his disposal however and made short work of tracking down some photos of the young Amari. His gut twisted as he recognized the Swiss doctor standing next to her. He didn’t care about her preference, but he felt betrayed to know that the two women were in a relationship.

Especially after what Zielglar had done.

Gabe switched filters looking up another familiar name, feeling remorse.

Damien Matthew Edwards.

He looked upon the old picture of his old friend, feeling bitter. Out of all the non Blackwatch Agents, he had been close with Damien, especially once he and Morrison had begun to fallout of favor with one another. Damien was a but put off that he wasn’t tapped for Blackwatch, and frankly Gabe was upset too.. The man was an exceptional soldier and had all the traits he desired in a Blackwatch agent. Both he and Gerald were close friends. In an ironic twist of fate Talon had been involved with both of their deaths, Damien having saved Gerald from one such attempt.

But what had bothered him was that he and Chase had shared the same last name. Thinking back Reaper recalled Damien saying something about a family, specifically a daughter. Now Talon’s subject files didn’t list heritage or next of kin, but he knew that Sombra had pulled it up at one point. Using her tools –he was still amazed they worked- he broke into the registry and began to search. It required some backtracking and referencing but eventually he pulled up her file. The file was back when she was in foster care before the incident where she ended up homeless and living on the streets, but it sufficed. Skimming through something caught his eye and he felt himself turn cold.

Name: Chase Danielle Edwards  
Sex: Female  
Parents/ Guardians: Michelle Donna Edwards (biological mother), Damien Matthew Edwards (biological father  
Godparent: unknown  
Reason for removal: Father’s location unknown, Mother arrested for Child abuse, Neglect of a child and drug related offences

They were the same family.

What was with Talon and going after people he knew? He glowered. Anyone who knew Gabriel Reyes knew that he was a very fatherly figure and great with children. It came from helping to raise his siblings he supposed. He’d never met Chase before the fall which was a shame. When he had met her she had been captured. He realized that he had taken a liking to her because she reminded him of Damien and Sombra had even teased him a few times when he helped Chase during training or took her aside for “special training” to hone her skills. He remembered growling and threatening her when Sombra asked if he was going to adopt her.

The dog joke wasn’t funny to him.

There was a knock at his door before the door opened. Looking up he felt his anger burn red hot as he slipped off his mask and hood. “Akande.”

“Gabriel. I trust you are well this evening?”

“Oh I feel well enough to ask you what the fuck is going on.” Reaper rose, hand shaking a bit out of anger. “I’ve stood with this Organization for many years, I’ve taken on many missions with a low failure rate, I’ve demonstrated undying loyalty to our cause, but you already know this. But I’ve uncovered a few things, and for once I feel entitled to ask for god damn answers.”

“Depends on what you want Reyes.” Akande’s voice lowered to a low growl, aware of what Reaper was hinting at.

“I want to know why Talon wants to recreate the SEP program and why that fatheaded, egotistical piece of shit decided to tamper with it by creating a hybrid creature. Are super soldiers not enough for Talon?”

“I’m not the one to talk to about that, but I can tell you that it was a way to make our existing soldiers stronger, a show of force if you will. Imagine what Talon could accomplish with squadron of SEP soldiers. Now my understanding is that one of David’s conditions was to have complete control over modifications or different combinations of the serum. The HKs became a byproduct that could have proven useful had 304-8C not escaped.”

“You bastards seem to enjoy playing god with other people’s lives.” Reaper snarled, hand flexing to relieve tension. “Now explain to me why and how you killed Damien Edwards and why you took his daughter.”  
“His daughter?”

“Don’t play dumb Ogundimu. Talon had to have known that she was his daughter, I mean you did go after people who wouldn’t have many people searching for them, less connections, less people to squawk about a missing person right?”

“Are you getting defensive of her Reyes?” Akande’s prosthetic hand flexed.

“You killed my best friend, corrupted his wife in an Ironic twist, obliterated my other friend and made his daughter into a perverse organic weapon. In addition you also had a hand in Zurich. Why would I not be defensive?” He could feel the Blackwatch soldier coming out in him as his rage clouded his judgement. “If I’m giving my loyalty to you and we’re being transparent, why are things so one sided? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you wanted someone to blindly follow orders.”

Akande Swung but Reyes was too fast for him, shadow stepping further back. “What was it really? Did you really want me for my skills to help lead, or did you want someone who bore a grudge and would do anything to take my anger out of your enemies, giving you a loyal attack dog?”

This time both men attacked each other. Akande had Martial arts on his side and a prosthetic while Reaper had his training, the SEP and his wraithlike abilities. However that didn’t stop Akande,, or rather he landed several good blows on the man. “This is betrayal Reyes!”

“Who’s betraying who!? Talon lied to me!” Gaberiel roared, smoking heavily. His face cloaked in smoke, the only things visible were his blood red eyes and the white gleam of teeth. “You wanted me as your attack dog!”

“ENOUGH!” Akande threy Reaper into the wall, fist clentched as the man stood. “You have your orders. Your Targets are Amari, Morrison, Lacroix, Sombra, Edwards and Liao. I hope you’re able to kill them without hesitation.”

Reaper laughed as the smoke subsided. “You’re asking the impossible. Amari and Morrison are gone now, they’re in hiding. Sombra, Lacroix and Chase have other options if we managed to capture them, but you won’t listen to a word I say anyway. As for Liao, good luck finding him. He’s avoided death for what, 50 or so years now?”

“A few of our agents encountered him in Lijang. Apparently he got away with another Overwatch Agent. Mei-Ling Zhou I think it was.”

“Do you have proof?” Reaper grinned, his grin falling as the video was produced on a holoscreen in front of him. “Well good luck with that.”

“What do you mean? We’re sending you to Lijang to get rid of him.”

“You don’t understand the first thing about Liao.” Gabe ginned again. “Unless he wants to be found, you can never find him. That’s why he and Genji worked so well together. They used to have several hour long training sessions just to see if one could find the other. Not only that, but Blackwatch has supply caches hidden all over the world. Chances are that if you send anyone else in there, he’s going to grab Mei and run for it, if he hasn’t already. I’m not sure what supplies are left in Lijang, he’d never tell me. He’s sneaky and very clever. I believe he lived by the “Strict parents make for sneaky children” rule. If he’s in Asia or the South East, chances are, you’re never going to find him. As much as I hate the bastard, I have to give him credit. What I’d like to know was how he stayed so well hidden for the last almost 8 years… then again there was a Reason why his callsign was “Phantom” I suppose.”

“Any idea where we could look?”

“No idea, but he constantly rotated safehouses allover Asia. Like I said, you’re chasing a ghost.”

Akande snorted. “Be careful Reyes, you’re falling out of favor with some people.”

“That never surprises me.” Reyes countered as Akande left. Reyes turned his attention back to his computer. He refused to kill Sombra, Widow and now Chase. If Liao was still alive, then it meant his days were numbered. Laio was his second in command back in their Blackwatch days, and he was a force to be reckoned with. He had no idea where Laio’s rifle was from but he did know it was a modified bullpup type prototype and Laio was good with it. The man had a Doctorate, an engineering degree AND had majored in Robotics. In addition, he had formed his own company all before 18, and even then he had joined the military during the omnic Crisis. He never could figure out why a genius like him would be on the front lines.

Genius bastard always could match with with Winston.

Thinking back, he recalled Liao saying something about where he was from, and his reasons. Reyes decided to save that for himself. No need to tell Talon if they were going to jerk him around like that. Turning back to his computer, he opened the private channel he, Widowmaker and Sombra had used before their departure. He doubted they were using it anymore but it was worth a shot.

 _[23:37] RR: I doubt you two still use this but I’m going to give it a shot anyway._  
_[23:37] RR: I don’t deserve your pity, but I’ve got my regrets. One of them was trying to stop you._  
_[23:37] RR: Chase is the daughter of an old dead friend._  
_[23:38] RR: If either of you are still using this channel, protect her with your lives._  
_[23:38] RR: Akande wants to take you three out, along with Morrison and Amari. If you can find Liao and warn him as well that would be great._  
_[23:39] RR: and let him know I want round 2._  
_[23:39] :Geeze papi you must be really sentimental if you’re still using this. Miss us?_  
_[23:39] RR: greatly. Now please._  
_[23:40] : it brings pain to me now, but tell them that Chase is dead. She ended up dying in Egypt. Shot by O’Toole._  
_[23:40] RR: Let me guess. She pulled through._  
_[23:41] :Yes._  
_[23:41] RR: Zielglar?_  
_[23:43] :Yeah._  
_[23:44] RR: Why does that not surprise me?_  
_[23:44] :Look do you need an out or what?_  
_[23:45] RR: I don’t want to be here but at the same time I can’t go to Overwatch nor do I have anywhere else to go._  
_[23:46] :alright just be our inside source for a bit. Since you’re feeding us information I’ll feed you some that won’t compromise us._  
_[23:46] :Know when I was teasing you about adopting Chase? Well there’s a reason and no it wasn’t over the dog issue._  
_[23:46] RR: Get to the point Sombra._  
_[23:46] :I have access to all of Chase’s records, including a will from Damien. Well in his will he wanted or Widow you to look after Chase._

Gabe paused. He was supposed to be her godfather? No way in hell.

 _[23:46] RR: He never told me._  
_[23:46] : Her mother hated her Gabe, he didn’t want her to know. Why the hell do you think she has a boy’s name?_  
_[23:46] RR: Does she know?_  
_[23:46] : Yes. She knew before I told her._  
_[23:46] RR: is the bitch still alive?_  
_[23:46] : Still in prison._  
_[23:47] RR: wish I had known. I would have taken her in._  
_[23:54] : According to state and provincial laws, you can under certain conditions. God parent and disability would be acceptable._  
_[23:46] RR:my Records though…._  
_[23:46] :We’ll figure something out. In the meantime keep us posted. I’ll wipe the channels so no one knows we were talking._

Reaper sighed looking out the window. This was a real shitstorm and He was sick of cleaning up messes. But this time this was partially because of his own doing. Sighing, he hung his head and went back to work, looking over missions, including several that involved the remaining successful HKs.

_[23:59] RR: heads up Talon raid on Gibraltar inbound. Warn them._

This was going to be a long few months.

____________________________________________

“Winston, Agent Zhou is on the line. We also have Agent Phantom responding to the Recall. Shall I patch them through?”

Winston choked on his banana smoothie. “Liao’s back? Yes please.”

There was a moment of static before the coms kicked in. _“{Good morning Winston how are you?}”_

“I’m doing fine Mei. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well. I’m under the impression that Liao’s willing to help us as well?”

_“{Yes. I’m bringing some supplies as well. Lijang isn’t safe for us right now and I wasn’t risking the chance of heading back south. Talon’s getting bolder}.”_

“It would seem.” Winston nodded. “They have quite a few game changers. Europe and Russia are seeing a lot of activity. Both Talon and Omnic. Are you two safe?”

_“{By safe do you mean sitting in the air in a Blackwatch stealth aircraft?}”_

“Not exactly.” Winston grinned at his sarcasm. Oh how he missed it.

_“{Then the short answer is no. We were heading to Gibraltar to refuel. I wasn’t sure if the base was still operational.}”_

_“{I may have forgotten to tell Húndàn here that fact.}”_

_“{I’m never going to hear the end of this am I?”_ } Liao sighed.

_“Winston, I’m detecting an unidentified aircraft approaching the base.”_

“{That’s not us.}”

 _“Also an urgent transmission from Sombra.”_ Athena chimed, putting her through.

_“{Hey Harambe, Talon’s trying to make another raid on the base. I’m enroute.}”_

Winston growled. “You’re kidding me.”

_“{The raid or the 60 year old meme?”}_

“Both.”

_“{I’m enroute from Castillo. I should be there in about 20}.”_

_“{We’ll try save you some of the action, we’ll be there in 10.}”_

“I’m initiating lockdown and Emergency procedures.” Winston put his glass down. “Our team composition isn’t what I’d call great but it’s something. Three small teams of three.. four teams of 3 once you three arrive.”

_“{What’s our comp like?}”_

“We’re too heavy on offense and Tanks. Not enough defense and only one support. We have another Support but I’m think it wise to leave him to watch over the civilians on base.”

_“{Shit, you have civilians onsite? Can I ask WHY!?}”_

“I’m putting out the teams now. You two and Sombra will have to team up once she arrives. We need to prepare.”Winston closed out the call and leapt down to his lab to arm, as the alarm went off. “Athena please alert the agents of the Teams.”

“Code Orange. All agents, prepare to defend. Potential threat inbound. Prepare for combat. Code Grey. Normal Lockdown procedures initiated. Access to grant only to agents with Level 3 clearance or above. Civilians please more to safe rooms.” Athena’s voice boomed over the coms. “Teams registered. Team Alpha: Agents Gejji Shimada, Hanzo Shimada and McCree. Team Beta: Agents Lena Oxton, Winston and Widowmaker. Team Omega Agents Jack Morrison, Ana Amari and Chase Edwards. Team Theta: Agents Sombra, Liao and Mei-Ling Zhou.”

“Athena do we have Generic armor here?”

“We do Winston.”

“Make sure Hanzo and Chase arm themselves, and make sure to tell Chase not to shift if it can be helped.”

  
“If you get into trouble I’ll bail you out.” Ana nudged Chase as she set up. “Not that I expect you to get into trouble.”

“Oh I can get myself into plenty of trouble.” Chase grinned. “I’m more worried about you Grandma.”

“I like you. You’re like a mixture of Jesse and my Fareeah.” Ana settled in. “You’re exposed in your position Jack.”

_“{I’m still trying to find a good place to set up. It’s not as easy as it looks.}”_

“Yeah but you make it look easy old man.”

_“{First Song, now you. This generation is full of ignorant young people.}”_

“Said the baby boomers before the millennials and Generation Z.” Chase adjusted her armor. “You’re not as old as Rienhardt but you’re still old. Be glad I’m calling you Old man, and not Ancient One.”

There was a snicker over the coms. _“{That would describe my grandad. He’s in his 90s now.}”_

“What’s the fucker made of? Jesus. You British and your long lives.”

 _“{Keep the chatter down.}_ ” Morrison chided, moving behind cover.

Chase watched him like the hunter she was. “Think you could hit his square ass from here?”

“Better, I could hit just under the button on his back pocket.”

“Where the hell is Talon?”

_“{Don’t be so eager to fight them. If Reyes helped to train these guys, then you’re going to get in over your head.}”_

_“{We’d better hope that he’s not with them this time. I’d rather not have a repeat of last time.}”_

_“{Aircraft approaching. Do we take them out as soon as they step out or do we let them out a bit?}”_

_“{Let them spread out a bit so they can’t take cover in their aircraft, but don’t let them go too far.}”_

_“{Liao? Report.}”_

_“{Base is in sight. Looks like Talon’s landing several clicks north of your positions. I’m going to land towards the south. It may take a while. Don’t be alarmed by my lions, I’m going to see if I can triangulate their exact positions so we can track any stragglers or escape routes.}”_

_“{I could help scout.}”_ Tracer piped up.

_“{Negative, you’re too recognizable and they’ll be expecting you. They won’t expect my lions here, and especially not so soon. I’ll let them off first as we land.}”_

_“{Watch for Smoketrails. Reaper may be hanging around.}”_

_“{Join the queue Morrison. I want my round 2 before you get yours.}”_

_“{No one’s getting anyone’s Sloppy seconds.}”_ Sombra interjected. _“{Reaps isn’t even on this mission. Apparently Akande’s sending him elsewhere to oversee something.}”_

“Making sure things are in place for a second global Omnic crisis. Fuckin’ Talon.”

 _“{They have landed. They seemingly have assault and shock troopers. So far no snipers, techs or other specialists.}_ Widow reported.

“Watch for collars, or armor or other coverings around the throat. Unless the program was scrapped, there could be shifters.” Chase hissed, her armor swinging loosely as she shifted her weight. “They were training us to appear to be average civilians or soldiers who could and would let loose at any given moment. Look for medium heavy armor units that are lightly armored in some areas more than others.”

“What?”

 _“They gave us Medium heavy based armor for our chests, forearms and calves, but it left other areas of our bodies unarmored and exposed. Supposedly it was for shifting purposes.”_ Chase explained _. “Their armor may also be loose like mine or inexplicably bulky and oddly… Sectioned? I mean the prototype armor we have was set up that when I was human it was locked into place but when I shifted, it would reconfigure itself to cover my HK self.”_

 _“{That is so confusing.}_ ” Genji whispered echoing everyone’s sentiments.

 _“{Incoming.}”_ Hanzo warned moments before gunshots echoed in the distance. There was the sound of a stealth aircraft overhead, looking up Chase saw the old scratched Blackwatch Logo. “Wotcher Liao, Zhou.”

_“{Hold position and dig in. They’re trying to spread out while another team flanks.}”_

_“{Rodger.}”_

_“{Working on their coms and their aircraft. I’ll land near you Rey Leon, so save me a spot.}”_

_“{I…. what?}”_

Jesse snickered over the coms, his fan hammer cracking in the distance. Chase huffed. She hated waiting. She twitched. She was bored and wanted to get in at the action. Two gold blurs dashed below, startling jack as the dove into cover. “Those are some big bots.” She adjusted her weight again.

“Patience little one.”

“I’m trying.” Chase hissed lightly drumming her fingers on her gun. “I’m excitable. I need to stay active.”

“Is it too late to call her Twitch?” A voice chuckled behind her, backing away as Chase turned her gun to face the Chinese man. “Jumpy aren’t we?”

“I have good hearing and I didn’t hear you. Hell I can’t even smell you, so yeah. I wasn’t expecting you here so soon.”

“What can I say? I’m fast.”

 _“{I bet you are.}”_ Genji cackled.

_“{I can confirm that he’s anything but when he wants to be.}”_

Genji howled with laughter.

_“{In the middle of combat, really!?}”_

_“{Regular occurrence, sorry Morrison.}”_

“Where’s your hacker friend?”

“Somewhere. She hasn’t landed yet.” Chase muttered, a loud growl, interrupting her words.

“What was that?”

“I’m hungry. We were fighting over dinner before the alarm went off. We had it narrowed it down to take out, mainly because I’m in the mood for Chinese.”

“Tidy up fast boys. I know you’re all hungry. Earn your keep tonight.” Liao rolled his eyes as the soldiers grumbled. “If we can get this matter settled I’ll see what I can whip up. Food isn’t half as good when you’re not the one making it.”

“What?”

 _“{The man can cook trust me.}”_ Mei giggled. _“{You’re getting sloppy up front guys. I shouldn’t have to put up my ice wall.}”_

“Trying to avoid laser turrets!” Genji yelped jumping back. “Ana!”

“Stay still!”

_“{Leave it to me. Apagando la luces!}”_

“Here they come!”

“Hey Twitch, tell you what. If you can take out more than me, I’ll make your favorite dish. If I win you have to fight me.”

“You’re on asshole.”

“Okay, who told you?” Liao threw his hand up as Chase laughed and leapt down to harass the Advancing Talon soldiers. Bracing her gun, she took aim, trying to catch the soldiers in any exposed areas. She wasn’t confident enough to try for headshots all the time, but it did help. Growling, she took several deep breaths. “Can confirm that there’s no HKs.”

“Jiù zhǔ and Yōulíng are flushing them out of the storage bay. Got two.”

_“{Doesn’t count if they got them Liao. You already said that they’re not an extension of yourself.}”_

“Who’s side are you on!?”

Chase dove around the corner and waited, counting her ammo. Ears perked she waited until the heard several footsteps before opening fire. “Got two!”

_“{Got 4- make that 5.}”_

_“{I’m ahead of all of you.}”_ Widow’s voice held the telltale sign of a smirk. _“{I have 6}.”_

 _“{You know what time it is.}”_ McCree snickered, fanning the hammer. _“{Make that 7.}”_

 _“{You used your deadeye and only shot 4 times! No fair.}”_ Lena protested.

“Then do better.” Chase encouraged taking out another soldier before turning her bracer on another soldier. “I’m counting melee Liao. It’s only fair. That puts me at 4.”

“Not bad. I hope you don’t getting bruised.” A short burst rang out, followed by the anguished screams of a now incapacitated soldier. “Seven.”

 _“{Quit screwing around and take them down!}”_ Morrison called looking around the corner before sprinting for cover.

 _“{Pulse bomb Ready!}”_ Tracer called out. _“{Ready to throw it and miss.}”_

“If Kings Row was anything to go by.” Widow teased, swinging down near Chase as her position was attacked. A loud explosion went off in the distance as Tracer Blinked just ahead of them. “Nailed it!”

_“{8.}”_

“Fuck you.” Chase growled, her body starting to smoke. “I’m ready to charge.”

“Sombra!” Widow warned.

Just as Chase took off, she felt something tag her in the arm. In that moment, she felt energized, like she was invincible. _“{You’re powered up, Get in there!}”_

“This is gonna be fun!” Chase roared surging forward as she shifted. The armor was still tight around her when she shifted, but it did it’s purpose as her bracer’s claws shot out. “Hunter’s Mark!”

There was a flurry of slashes as she threw herself into the middle of a group of Talon soldiers crimson stained her bracer, blood soaking her fur as she tore apart the men. One strafed left, trying to run for cover. With a savage roar Chase thrusted her claws at the soldier, but just as her claws found purchase. There was a deafening crack as her face was covered with a spray of red.

“Asshole.” Came the combined voices of Chase, Ana and Mei. Tracer was too busy laughing to care and Widowmaker was wearing a genuine smile on her face. “Lovely shot. I didn’t think that weapon could make such a lovely shot at that distance.”

“Got lucky.” Liao said lowering his rifle. “Was that all of them?”

”Seems that way. Genji, Hanzo, let’s do a sweep of the place to make sure.”

“So who won?” Tracer finally choked out watching the younger woman attempt to wipe her face off.

“Counting this guy here, 9-“

“Excuse you, I did make a lovely mess with that headshot so I think the killshot was mine.”

“My claws were already in him, you have 8.”

“Yes but you didn’t take him down.”

“It was a tie.” Ana called striding up to them. “Both of you took the shot and therefor have just as much right to the kill as the other.”

“So what happens now?”

“Look like I owe you your favorite dish and you owe me a fight.”

“Deal.” Chase grumbled. “Can we at least get cleaned up first? I don’t like how this is drying and sticking to my face.”

“Fair enough. Now will someone help that poor Talon soldier? He’s still alive and in great pain.”

“Oh don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him.”

“We?”

“Yes we.” Liao popped his knuckles. “Boys hurry up, I have a little job for you.”  
_____________________________

“Someone want to explain what this is doing here?” Fareeha crossed her arms as she looked at her squad.

“Don’t know. Higher ups delivered it here. Apparently it’s for you.” One answered. Fareeha looked to Angela. “See, this is what I have to deal with.”

“Don’t take it personally mien libeling. They just want to see you in good spirits.”

“I’d be in better spirits if my Raptora armor hadn’t been damaged as bad as it was.” Fareeha was upset. Ever since that night, she had been grounded. What she thought would be a simple fix to the rocket thruster systems turned out into a huge mess than had shorted out various other capacitors and components in the rest of her armor. Sadly it was too delicate for her to repair on her own, so Helix had taken her armor in for repairs, leaving her with the basic set, and even then it was wonky.

“Someone hand me a crowbar.” Fareeha rolled her eyes, one arm out as one of her men scrambled to get the tool. Her best guess was some kind of new weapon system, or something to help keep her squad busy for a while. Catching the crowbar, she ushered her squad back and the jammed the crowbar in and began to pry it open. There was a loud gasp ad a loud cheer as the lid came off and Fareeha nearly dropped the crowbar.

Inside the crate was a shiny new set of Raptora armor, however it was unlike any of the models she had ever seen. Instead of a night sharp blue and gold, what greeted her was a sleek yet crisp black and gold variant. That wasn’t what surprised her, what did surprise her was the helmet. Gently putting down the crowbar, she gently held the helm in her hands, looking at the Anubis like head. An envelope dropped out of it as she turned it over, causing her to look down. Putting the Helmet back in the crate she opened the envelope and her eyes widened as Mercy looked over her shoulder.

_Hey Raptora,_

_I bet you’re wondering what this is all about. Well a while back Helix had plans drawn up for an Anubis variant armor in commemoration of what you did, however they ended up having to pull funds from the armor for more pressing matters. Seeing as though what happened to your armor, I thought it appropriate to pull some strings so you could get this sooner. Please use this in place of whatever crap they give you to use. There have been slight upgrades to it you know._

_In addition, take some time off and notify me when you do so. I’m going to put a contract out for your and Mercy’s services. I can’t discuss why or what, but know that it’s big. Bring the armor and any supplies you two see fit._

_We need all the help we can get._

_-Sombra, “The god Anubis”, and Araña._

“Those little shits….” Pharah mumbled. “Well habibata, shall we?”

“We might as well. If it’s what I think it is, we’re going to be gone for a while. How much time do you have banked?”

“I could take several months off and no one would bat an eye. You?”

“I go where work takes me. But you do realize the risks right?”

“I’ve wanted to do this my whole life. If there’s a chance I can live my dream I’ll do it.”

“Overwatch was shutdown for a reason, it may be best to stay that way.” Angela whispered.

“But it’s up to us to prove them wrong. Times have changed yes, but we have to show them that Overwatch has changed to, that we deserve a second chance. We deserve a second chance, and a fresh perspective.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuàn shīzi bǎohù wǒ: May the lions protect me  
> Jiù zhǔ: Savior  
> Yōulíng: Spectre  
> Húndàn: “Bastard” was trying for asshole.  
> 幻影 Huànyǐng: “Phantom”  
> Rey Leon: “Lion King”  
> Apagando la luces  
> mein liebling: my beloved  
> habiti: “My love?” I believe.. I google translated it. 
> 
>  
> 
> Tracer’s “Pulse bomb Ready! Ready to throw it and miss.” quote actually came from the Youtuber Cannaestia, who says it in a few of her videos. It also echoes practically every time I ult as Tracer. 
> 
> Liao's nickname comes from People lovingly calling him an asshole in the past, although Mei calls Liao an ashole for stealing her work.
> 
> Also, I'm making a shout out/nod to Ecc0craft's Liao aka Lotus here too. I had to fix a few details that will appear in Lost Lion Red String of Fate and i wanted to make a reference to Li. Go Read Ecc0craft's content, I think you guys would enjoy her writing.


	6. Odd Bedfellows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When nightmares hit, it's not always easy to talk about them. Sometimes, it reminds you of things you wish you never went through, even though you couldn't do anything to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter cause I can't wait til tomorrow to post it. Also sorry it's so long.
> 
> Notes at the beginning and end of the chapter. Fair warning, this chapter mentions a graphic fight, a graphic descriptions of an accident and mentions child abuse which i have censored as best i can so it's not to much for myself to write and other to read. if you wish to Skip the nightmare mentioning the child abuse please use "CTRL+F" and search for the phrase "Chase sat frozen on the bed, eyes and ears pointed forward" (without quotation marks). If you can's use the find command, please just keep scrolling until you find that line.

No matter how badass you were, no woman could resist a hot shower.

Lena, Mei, Widow, Chase, Sombra and Emily had all piled into the locker room. Chase had opted to hide behind both widow and Sombra for unknown reasons. Unlike the others she wasn’t as chatty. Mei and Lena were too busy catching up with one another to really pay much attention. When attention did turn towards the others Chase seemed to stay extremely quiet.

Widowmaker was about to make a comment when she noticed something on Chase’s right shoulder blade. A flash of black and white. Craning her neck as chase bent slightly, she saw it. A ropy scar stretching from the top of her shoulder, arching towards her spine.  Off to the side tattooed in bold black block letters was her designation.

**HK 304-8C**

Widow growled lowly, catching the attention of Emily and Sombra, both women following her gaze to chase as she stumbled, struggling to keep her balance. Lena and Mei paused and looked down the line, also noticing the marking. Widow’s eyes narrowed. How dare they? Bad enough Talon had Branded her with cauchemar and the black widow on her back, but to brand someone with a serial number, something meant to dehumanize someone… It was sickening… Maddening.

Looking closer, she noticed the scaring that dotted her body. Some were still pinkish from her torture at the Talon Base.. Others were faded or white. Sombra had indicated that she had known what chase had gone through, but she never shared that information with the sniper.  

The creek of the door snapped everyone’s attention as Ana walked in a towel slung over her shoulder. She paused taking in chase, her expression twisting to one of horror. Although she wouldn’t say it, everyone knew what was on the Egyptian sniper’s mind.

_“Child, what happened to you?”_

It went without saying that the women understood why the shifter was so self-conscious.

________________________________________

By the time the women had finished getting cleaned up the kitchen was in full swing. Genji and Jesse had yet to return, leaving the women to wonder exactly where the men were. No one was going to ask where the remaining Talon soldier had ended up, but going on what Liao had said and Blackwatch’s track record, they had a rough idea what was going on.

Ethan and Sachi were sitting on some stools in front of Liao watching him as he cooked, occasionally trying out a bit of what he was cooking. Yume was looking over the lions as the playfully swatted at Snowball. Emily sat nearby talking to Zenyatta as the rest of the Ladies walked in, pausing to wave at Lena.

“We’ve got word from Mercy and Pharah, Sombra.” Winston grunted as he slid through the door to the kitchen. “They needed transport from Egypt and Liao was only too kind to lend us the stealth aircraft.”

“Not so much lending as Athena took it and you told me afterwords.” Liao’s eyes flicked up at the Gorillia. “Mind you, that works both ways.”

“How does that work both ways?”

“Just like I said.”

“Cryptic as always ain’t he?” McCree mumbled as he walked in. “Hey Liao, he refuses to talk and we’ve tried EVERYTHING.”

“Did you really try everything?”

“You know what I mean!”

Liao paused, using his finger to clean off the blade of the knife. “And what do you want me to do about it?”

“I need to ask for ‘the thing’.”

“Ah ‘the thing’! Excellent description McCree!”

“Liao!”

Liao jabbed the knife into the cutting board, making the children flinch. “You realize that’s cruel and unusual punishment right?”

“It’s better than Reyes’s method. Still cruel and unusual but not as bad as yours.”

“If anything you’re the cruel and unusual punishment.” There were a few gasps and groans as Liao dipped his head with not so much as a grin. “Give up Cowboy?”

“Just give me the data stick you bastard.” McCree growled as the older’s hand reached into his pocket. “Besides there’s nothing wrong with me or country music.”

“I beg to differ.” Hanzo snorted drawing a laugh from Lena.

“Why else do you think he had you with him in every interrogation? Certainly wasn’t because of your aim.”

“You’re a bastard.”

“You’re a bastard…..?”

“You’re a bastard sir.”

“That’s better. Here, tell Genji to add to it if he wishes.”

“Hold on.” Lena held a finger up. “What exactly are you lot on about?”

Liao pulled the knife out of the cutting board, reaching for the chicken. “Not all of Blackwatch used physical violence and torture to get information out of enemies. A few of us had other methods. My weapon of choice was to tie them to a chair and blast horrible music.” He paused looking up. “I’m dead serious.”

“Please tell me you guys have some Crazyfrog or some shit on there. That or Celine Deon.” Ana smirked. “I know you’re into old memes and references Liao, so please prove me right.”

“That’s older than Rienhardt!”

“Some of that’s older than my Grandad.”

Chase sat next to the children. “Just use the dial up signals or something and put it on intermittent repeat, that or use an annoying frequency.”

There was a loud groan of Spanish from Sombra while Ana and Liao chuckled. “Oh I like you, perfect Blackwatch material.”

“Meh.”

“I’ll add some ideas. Thanks.” McCree rolled his eyes and walked out, Liao laughing loudly moments later.

“I’ll never understand how you can say some things with a straight face Liao.” Jack sighed into his hands. “You have a talent I could never hope to achieve.”

“Why do you think Reyes and I got along so well after our initial meeting? I can be a witty, sarcastic, savage, shit-giving asshole some times. It’s either that or Insanity.” Liao paused looking at the glare Lena was giving him. “What?”

“Frankly, some of your ideas have been insane luv.” Lena leaned against the counter. “Do I have to remind you of France, or what about Liechtenstein?”

“Ok, in France I needed a better vantage point so I could lead you. Liechtenstein I will admit, was bordering insanity.”

“Will someone explain?” Mei asked tying her hair back up.

“Gladly!” Lena slapped her hand down on the counter causing a shit eating grin to spread across his face. “In France he scaled the Eifel tower. HE CLIMBED THE SODDIN’ TOWER! ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP. Damn near scared Captian Amari out of her post when she got up there.”

“In retrospect that was funny.” Ana chuckled. “He popped up like a gopher popping out of a hole and asked “Hey, what’s up?”.”

“What about Liechtenstein?” Widow asked, genuinely interested. All eyes turned to Lena and Liao.

“Tell them.” Lena’s tone indicated that she was less than amused. Liao’s grin got wider as he began to chuckle.

“No one what’s to hear that story.”

“Oh yes they do. Emily especially. She had questions after the mission.”

“What one?”

“The one where I came back and looked half dead and borderline murderous.”

“Oh THAT mission? Yes I’d love to hear about that one.”

Liao paused, putting the knife back down as he continued to prep the chicken. “We were fighting a small force of Eradicators and Troopers-“

“Already this is off to a lovely start.” Emily mumbled.

“-and they were deeply entrenched. Neither Blackwatch nor the Strike team could get past them. So I came with an idea of live bait-“

“Wait what?”

“Let me finish! Now, I stood outside of their range of fire and started making noise. As I predicted they had no choice but to move close to get me in range. Every time they’d edge close, I moved further away. Eventually this lead to them chasing me, Reyes, Morrison and Tracer through the streets and through several Bastion nests.”

“You did what!?”

“And you were laughing maniacally the whole time!” Morrison roared, sending the man into a fit of laughter. “We had to haul ass just to keep ahead of them!”

“But it worked didn’t it?”

“I couldn’t get over the fact of what you were doing. As hilarious as it is to watch three highly trained soldiers run from a horde of angry omnics, there was no way I was going to bail you out of that one.” Ana shook her head. “And you wondered why Mercy refused to give you heals.”

“It’s funnier watching two super soldiers running and cursing.”

“I still don’t know how you matched pace with them.” Lena threw her hands up while the others laughed at the mental image of the two commanders running for their lives with a group of pissed omnics shooting at them. “I was **_just_** able to keep up, and that was with me blinking ahead.”

“That raises further questions.” Hanzo spoke up. “How did you get involved?”

“The wankers –pardon my language kids- ran right into my path. I either had to run with them or run into an alleyway that was walled off.” Lena threw her hands up. “I remember thinking, ‘this is how I die, caught between two commanders quarreling like a married couple and a batshit fucking insane quiff who looked and sounded like he had gone off his fucking rocker!”

The kitchen exploded in laughter as Genji waked in with Mcree. “Seems we missed story time.”

“He always had the best stories.” Jesse chuckled as Liao looked up. “That was Liechtenstein wasn’t it?”

“Yup. How did you know?”

“Lena rarely curses like that unless you mention that one mission. I could hear her down the hall.”

“Auntie rarely cusses.” Ethan spoke up. “It’s funny to hear her swear like dad did.”

“It’s not right and I shouldn’t be swearing like I did. My apologies.” The Brit sighed.

“Oh I wish you had heard her that day. I’d never heard such language out of anyone.”

“Agreed. We were so busy laughing we nearly lost our chance to sneak into the stronghold.” Ana chuckled. “We need to check the mission archives to see is we still have footage or audio of that mission.”

“I really want to hear that now.” Emily chuckled. “It’s funny seeing her so livid she breaks out into a long string of curses.”

“I remember passing by and wondering what was going on.” Winston admitted remembering the commotion and laughter from the com rooms on that day. “I thought she was going to kill you three herself.”

“Right that’s it! Let’s move swiftly on!”

“Oh I’ve been on worse missions.” Liao grinned at Genji as he turned his attention back to dinner. “Genji, do you remember Kuala Lumpur?”

“Fuck off.” Genji spat, face contorting into a snarl as Liao fell into another fit of laughter. The well-deserved punch from Mei was clearly worth it.

As it turned out the records of said missions were still intact.

________________________________________________________

 

No one was saying it was dinner, but people had their doubts when there was an influx of nightmares that night. It was expected of the soldiers, having faced the Bastions, having experience combat fatigue and the near loss of life. For the others, it was the trauma from the past that haunted them.

It had started with Tracer and Ethan. Tracer’s stemmed from her nightmares of being Chrono disassociated in the slipstream. They occurred every so often but had been more frequent following her recent incident. Ethan’s however had involved bearing witness to several drunken fights between his parents, but seemed to focus on the recent car accident that had claimed the lives of his parents. Both usually resulted in a lot of tossing and turning, crying out- Lena- or loud sobbing –Ethan. Together the two of them sat in the common area next to Emily, Zenyatta and his calming orbs.

Widowmaker joined them shortly afterwards. She didn’t talk much about her nightmare, but judging by how she was curling up, they suspected it had to do with Talon’s torture. At one point she left, returning after sometime looking a bit better but still shaken. She explained that Sombra occasionally woke from nightmares regarding her family’s deaths and need reassurance. The two also traded off watching Chase who had either two modes: Nightmares followed by restlessness or a slumber so deep she could sleep through a nuclear war.

It was quiet for a time, until their next arrival slipped into the room with all the stealth and ease of Genji. Had it not been for his soft voice asking if he could join them, they would have screamed. Offering the man a seat, Liao sat down and eventually began his story with a cup of tea.

 

 

_“You rarely seem me out these days. Usually you’re with Anderson and Morrison, or cooped up in that tech Lab of yours.”_

_“My apologies. I’ve been working on a project that I’ve recently finished. I’ve been hoping to pitch it to you before I start production in my home country for both our soldiers and for the UN and Security Council. I wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly.”_

_“Why would you want to involve them? In case you failed to notice, they exposed us, they’re working on restricting us. Soon we’ll even be lucky if there’s an Overwatch left. Besides, this is the sort of thing you’d talk to Anderson with.”_

_“Anderson is deceased. Killed by Talon. “He sighed. “ I don’t like this, it’s like they’re thinning our ranks, it’s as if they have a bigger end game. They want to break us apart so they can crush the organization easier.”_

_“Spare me your conspiracy theories Liao, What would Talon have against us. We’re an international task force yeah, but there’s nothing stopping the UN or the Governments from taking them on.”_

_“With all due respect Reyes, (‘and by that, I mean kiss my ass’ Liao though bitterly) unless you’re getting reports that I’m not cleared for, we’re reading the same information from the same sources. There’s always an end game or an angle they can work. We’ve been checking for defectors, searching for sleepers and even running checks internally on all agents including Blackwatch, but we haven’t been monitoring those outside of Overwatch. The UN is against us right now because of the scandal, yes I agree. But would it be beneath them to infiltrate the UN and dismantle us in a less direct way?”_

_Reyes turned towards the man, a finger pointed in his face, his visor blocking Reyes’s finger from actually touching him. “You know something I don’t, you (Reyes’s words muffled as Liao tried to forget the slur).”_

_“Reyes you’re better than this. You’re smarter than this as well. Have you never stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe if Talon were to whisper into the UN’s ears they could dismantle us, leaving them little to no competition? I suspect that the countries that have retracted their support for Overwatch have either sided with Talon or have decided to debate petty politics.” Liao watched Reyes through his visor. “You can’t deny the possibility.”_

_“How do I know that you’re not in league with Talon?”_

_“My country is still co-operating with Overwatch is it not? Didn’t you ever wonder why I had so many safe houses scattered all over hell’s creation? It was to protect Blackwatch and to prepare for this situation. It was to ensure people would be alive to continue to fight if the war with the Omnics took a turn for the worst.”_

_“Then why don’t I know about every location?”_

_“Look at yourself Reyes!” Liao’s hands slammed against the desk. “Ever since you were passed over for the position of Strike commander you’ve turned bitter, jealousy consumes you now. You’re so embroiled in your own shortcomings that you’re willing to let everything around you crumble until you get what you want. You and Morrison won’t agree on what to do in Antarctica, you refuse to allow joint Blackwatch and Overwatch operations, and you’re not justifying or rationalizing a way to continue the operations of Blackwatch! Do you think I could trust someone like that?”_

_“Are you saying you’d make a better commander than me Liao!?” Reyes roared, getting in close to Liao’s face._

_“I’ve only ever lead Lion Force, so I cannot comment on my leadership skills. But I will say this, I’d be at least willing to try, and I’d do whatever I needed to do to insure the survival of this Organization. I also realize that if I find a commanding officer to be unfit for duty then I must notify the Strike Commander or acting Strike Commander, meaning that until a full evaluation can be performed, I’d be asked to act as the Commanding officer of Blackwatch, since I’m your second in command.”_

_“You sly fucker. You’re in league with them. You wanted the position long ago.”_

_“No. Unlike you, I don’t willingly seek out positions. If they fall to me then I accept them as is my duty. I trust the judgement of others when and where appropriate. Now, don’t make me say it again. You’re unfit to lead at this time, so step down.”_

_“You were speaking to Morrison.”_

_“It’s for the best. Things will go more smoothly if you co-operate.”_

_“If I didn’t need your expertise, if I didn’t need you as my second in command. I’d gut you like the spineless, piece of shit coward that you are. Unlike you, I won’t hesitate to kill you where you stand.” Reyes’s words became garbled once again as Liao’s mind tried to forget the searing slur._

_His arm flashed out, pulling his knife with it. Striking like a cobra, he plunged the blade into Reyes’s stomach and sliced horizontally. The man cried out as he tried to hold his middle, backing away as the younger man spat. “Let me reiterate, you’re no longer in charge of_ Blackwatch.”

_Reyes looked up, seeing the deep frown upon the man’s face. With a snarl he reached out with his free hand, grabbing a fistful of Liao’s hair and slamming his face down upon the desk in front of him. There was immense pain as Liao let out a deeply anguished scream of pain as his visor shattered. Looking down Reyes saw the blood dripping onto the desk before he heard it. Liao jumped back holding his left eye, hands cupped around a massive jagged shard that jutted out between his hands. He stumbled back landing on his side as blood coated his hands. That was the end of that._

_Or so he thought._

_There was another loud cry, one resembling a wounded animal as the sound of something heavy dropped to the ground. Looking up Reyes saw the bloody shard of glass laying on the floor, and through Liao’s pated fingers, the full extent of Liao’s injury._

_The man had certainly lost his left eye. Judging by how his right eye was twitching and watering, the other eye had been injured as well. The shattered visor hung off his face useless to the injured man. Looking up, Liao screamed something at him in Chinese. Reyes didn’t care, he wanted the man dead._

_He was no longer his friend, he was a traitor._

_Grabbing one of his pistol from the desk he took aim at the man, and fired. With Liao wobbling and struggling to get away, he missed his mark, but hit him near the collar bone. There was a loud electrical crackle and another cry from Liao as his implant near disintegrated. Reyes chuckled and pinned him down with his foot. “Not so smart now are you?”_

_“That’s what you think.” Liao mumbled, trying to conserve his strength. “You seem to forget about the Lion motif that surrounds me. You seem to forget that it was the Lions that have protected me my whole life, the lions that spurred me into becoming who I am today.”_

_“So where are these so called lions that protect you, or is this some kind of mythology you think will save your ass?”_

_“You forget was I was called in the south by the children, my friend. Jiù zhǔ and Yōulíng. Savior and Spectre respectively. The Lions are coming, we are linked after all. Besides…..” Liao grabbed for his knife and flipped it expertly, plunging it into Reye’s calf and throwing the Latino over him. “It was Morrison who authorized lethal force against you. I had hoped to avoid this.”_

_Before Reyes could get up the younger man was on top of him, his blade crackling with electricity. It wasn’t enough to kill the man, but it was enough to incapacitate him. Liao struck, but was shoved off last minute. The man roared and slammed Reye’s head into the side of the desk, just as a loud roar echoed through the room as the boor was torn off its hinges._

_There was a plume of fire and Liao rolled out of the way as Reyes screamed, drawling on his stomach to get away. Liao struggled to his feet, running down the hall as best as he could, bright lights, shadows and splashes of color dancing in what remained of his vision. Heavy paw steps echoed behind and beside him as he ran for the exit. He had just made it outside when he collapsed into a muddy puddle. He groaned trying to climb back to his feet, failing as his body struggled for consciousness. He felt one lion try to help him, growling worriedly as he struggled to get to his feet or pull himself up. The other put its head under his middle and gently eased him onto the other’s back, helping to carry him to safety._

_On that day, Blackwatch had truly fallen._

 

Liao stared down at his hands, as Zenyatta’s balls chimed. He still lamented the loss of his eye, of his friendship with Reyes, and their humanity. Until now, no one had known the truth of what happened. He looked up as the others had gathered in the common area unable to sleep. Mei had awoken sometime after him and had checked the common area first. Morrison sighed.

“I feel like this was my fault.”

“It wasn’t my friend. Reyes sealed his fate that day.”

“You know, Genji and I left because of the tension and how things were going but knowing that he tried to do that and never explained what happened to you….”

“Coward.” Genji spat.

“He really is a bastard then.” Widow agreed. “He was always known for being deplorable, but now…. It explains why he’s working with Talon. He’s a part of their council, he helps run it. By feeling betrayed, he became the very thing he swore to stop. Damn Revenant.”

“He had to be the traitor. There’s no other explanation.” Liao’s foot scuffed at a spot on the floor. “Damn it, he really wanted to lead didn’t he?”

The group sat in silence for a while before Liao turned to face the Brits, nodding to Ethan. “Sorry I didn’t mean to say anything that will give him nightmares.”

“It’s ok. I saw mum as she was dying and dad when he was already dead with some kind of rod through his chest and the driver’s seat. I’ve seen some bad stuff.”

“You never told us you were awake before the EMTs got to you lad.” Lena held her nephew tighter.

“I was dozy after dinner and I awoke just before the accident. There was a lot of rolling and the next thing I knew I was waking up, upside down in my seat while mum choked on her own blood. Dad’s eyes were rolled back and he was limp and covered in blood.” Ethan said emotionlessly, stating at his cup of cocoa. “I almost didn’t feel any pain when I woke up. I didn’t know I was cut up or hurt till the medics touched my wounds. I just… I don’t know. I felt like I was in a daze.”

Genji bit his lip. The boy had certainly seen some shit wand it was stiff affecting him if he was so calm and detached when he spoke about it. Clearly Lena and Emily hadn’t known judging by the looks on their faces. Before anyone could speak up, there was a loud roar followed by a yell of “Amélie!”

The French sniper was off like a bullet, running back for the dorms as the other adults stood. Winston looked rather defensive, staring at the dorm area where the roars emanated from. Ana and Jack stood, ready to run towards the roars if needed. They knew. They knew what Chase was and what she was capable of.

When Amélie got to Chase and Sombra’s room, she could hear the loud shrill beeping of Chase’s collar. It had only happened a handful of times, but Chase had had nightmares that caused her to shift. Sombra had refused to share the cause, which had only served to annoy her. But Amélie wasn’t blind, she had seen the old faded scars that dotted Chase’s skin. Opening the door, she saw that Chase was still asleep, one pillow torn apart her face twisted into an angry snarl as Sombra gently shook her. It was sometimes hard to wake the girl.

She suspected that it would be hard to wake the woman.

_______________________

 

**_Bang!_ **

_“Stop it!”_

**_Bang!_ **

_“Stop crying you little brat!”_

**_Bang!_ **

_“You’re hurting me!”_

_“I’m hurting you? I can really hurt you if you want to!”_

_“Stop yelling at me- OWW! LET GO!”_

_“My house my rules you ungrateful little brat!”_

**_BANG!_ **

_“Oww!”_

_“I said shut up!_

**_BANG!_ **

_“I didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t understand!”_

_“Get back here you little bitch!”_

_“Why are you so angry at me OW!”_

_“You ungrateful! Worthless! Stupid! Disgusting slob!”_

_“You’re hurting me! Stop it! I’m scared.”_

_“How about I throw you out in the street! How do you like that!?”_

_“But It’s freezing out!”_

_“Does it look like I care!?”_

_“No…”_

_“Then good! Do as you’re told!”_

_“But you didn’t tell me anything.”_

_“Open your FUCKING ears! Why are you so useless!?”_

_“I’m sorry-“_

_“No you’re not! You never listen! I wish I never gave birth to you!”_

_“You’re not a boy! Why aren’t you act more like a girl!”_

_“I don’t like being really girly!”_

**_SMACK!_ **

_“You don’t EVER talk back to me and you certainly don’t act like a boy!”_

_“Then why did you give me a boy’s name?”_

_“I hate you you ungreatful little shit!”_

_“What?”_

_“I said I hate you! I don’t love you. Get that through your fucking thick skull!”_

_“But you’re my mom-“_

_“I wish I wasn’t! I wish I never gave birth to you! You’re useless!”_

 

**_“THIS IS COLD!”_ **

_“Well, you wouldn’t be taking a cold shower if you just learned to move quicker! Now shut up!”_

_“Brr……”_

_“Stop crying and shivering! If you don’t finish your shower in the next 5 minutes, you’re going out in the snow the way you are!”_

_“But I’ll get sick and die!”_

_“Not my problem brat!”_

_“Hey can II get a drive to Tori’s?”_

_“No!”_

_“But, on Monday you said I could, so I could go to the movies with her and my friends.”_

_“You never told me!”_

_“Yes I did. I told you on the way to get groceries. I asked if I could go because it was my birthday today and you said yes.”_

_“Well I changed my mind.”_

_“Why-“_

_“Because I said so, not get out of my face you little bitch!”_

_“What’s wrong with you- OWWW!"_  
  _  
_

_“What’s the matter can’t breathe? I thought this is what you wanted. I thought you wanted to die. That’s it settle down, stop fighting….. Hello Dumbass…. Hmph! You won’t try that again will you?”_

_“What are you doing?”_

_“I’m just taking my wallet.”_

_“Why?”_

_“I need it for my lunch money.”_

_“Did I say you could have it back?”_

_“No but-“_

_“Then you’re not getting it back.”_

_“But I need it for lunch.”_

_“You’re not getting it.”_

_“But then how do I get food for lunch?”_

_“You don’t. You fucking starve.”_

_“But mom-“_

_“You can afford to lose the extra weight.”_

_“I need to eat mom!”_

_“No you don’t! Give that back!”_

_“But it’s mine- ARRRGGH!”_

 

_“Mom I’m already sick. If I eat like this I’ll get sicker.”_

_“Not my problem you fucking bitch! Maybe this will teach you to clean dishes properly.”_

_“But what if I end up in the hospital?”_

_“Then that’s too fucking bad! You’re not to use any clean dishes  and you will eat  and drink from filth until you learn to clean them properly!”_

_“Why are you doing this!?”_

_“Do I need a reason?”_

_“You’re acting crazy!”_

_“You drive me crazy!”_

_“Please stop mom. Why are you doing this?”_

_“Because I hate you! You make me miserable!”_

_“You’re supposed to love me!”_

_“I don’t love you. No one loves you and no one will. You don’t deserve love. You don’t deserve anything. The only thing you deserve is anything bad, anything that makes you miserable. You don’t deserve the clothes on your back, you don’t deserve food, hot water of happiness. You don’t deserve to live under my roof while you laze about doing nothing. You should be out there working.”_

_“But I’m 13, I’m still in school.”_

_“I don’t care you worthless ingrate!”_

_“Dad wouldn’t treat me like this!”_

_“Your father’s dead! Forget about him. No one’s supposed to remember you when you’re dead! Get out of my house!”_

_“Where am I supposed to go!?”_

_“I don’t care get out now!”_

_“But my stuff!”_

_“I said get out now!”_

_“Put the knife down! MOM!”_

"CHASE!"

_______________________

 

Chase sat frozen on the bed, eyes and ears pointed forward. Sombra was curled on the ground, holding her thigh, hands clamped around her now profusely bleeding thigh. Widow cradled her watching Chase warily as the woman shifted back, looking horrified. Sombra looked up, pained but attempting to be gentle. Chase recoiled, edging her way out of the room and scampering away. This is why she stayed to herself. This is why she hated sleeping. This is why she felt nervous. This is why she needed to get away. She began to skid to a stop, knowing that if she continued her path she’d end up in the common area. She needed out. Hanging a hard right she dashed through the base looking for a place to hide. She couldn’t bear to face the woman at that moment. Hell if ever.

“I’m sorry….” Chase whispered to no one in particular, searching for a spot to hide. However she was given little to no privacy, especially when Ana tracked her down, blocking her only exit as Chase tried to leave. “Sit little one.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Clearly not while you’re in that state I won’t. Heavens knows what’s going through your mind or what you’d do if I left. “Ana sat down, adjusting her braid as she took in the young woman. “She doesn’t blame you, you know.” 

“She should. She knows how dangerous I am.”

“And is that reason enough to abandon her while she’s hurt, especially when it’s not your fault?”

“But it is!” Chase stood, her color flashing orange. “I lashed out and attacked her. I couldn’t even control my shift! I’m constantly going around worried that I’ll accidently kill her. What if that had been her throat? What if I had torn her to shreds before I awoke? I’m dangerous Ana.”

“And so is everyone on this base. Just because our methods of defending ourselves are different, doesn’t mean that we’re any more or less dangerous than one another.”

“You don’t understand. We were modified, trained to cause chaos and destruction as beasts of war. On paper, through code names we’re called Hunter-Killers. Our subclass however is called “Hellbeast HKs”. We’re made for one thing. Fighting and shock troops. I’m a monster, I’m something that shouldn’t exist. At times I’m just a mindless animal.”

“And what have you done so far with your abilities? You’ve fought, you’ve made important decisions that will help to shape the future, a better future for us all. You’re taking on a task that none of us hoped to attempt let alone accomplish. You have a lot of courage, valor and heart and had Reinhardt been here with me, I’m certain he would agree as would your father.”

“Wait, you knew dad?”

“Of course, the man worked with animals, helped with operations. He was a damn good soldier. I only knew you by name for many years. He was so upset when he missed your birth, and he was rather frustrated with what your mother called you. Had things gone better, he would have eventually brought you to the base to meet the others.”

“Did Sombra tell you then?”

“Tell me what exactly?”

Chase waved a hand, unaware that her Indicator had gone back to a solid green. “Did she tell you guys what mom did to me, the reason why I was taken away and placed in foster for a few years?”

Ana eyed Chase, catching the implication. “No, but I’m not completely blind. I have seen those scars and I know they’re too faded and too consistent to be from that Talon base. You’re too jumpy, too nice even for a Canadian. You don’t have to mention what you’ve been through.”

“I should though. I haven’t told Sombra, but she’s most likely read my files and can hear me at night. The only other people who know are the omnics who took me in after my foster house was attacked in a riot.”

That was new. “Omnics? Omnics raised you?”

“Yeah. I was 4 when dad died. I was about… 13 or so when mom was arrested on abuse, abandonment and drug related offenses. About a year later the riot happened and a bunch of Omnics saved my life. In turn I ran and lived with them and protected them for many years, until I was captured by Talon in Ontario.”

Ana drummed her fingers against her knee. So that was the reason. To think the cirl had been carrying those scars for over a decade…. “These Omnics, they were humanoid yes?”

“Most of them were. There was Cobol, Z-Axis, Query and Beta. They were humanoid. We did have two old siege type omnics that helped out. A trooper and an Eradicator named Legion and Theta. Legion you can trust, he has a fully developed AI and questioned other troopers. He has a buggy voice modulator but he can communicate somewhat.”

“And the Eradicator?”

“She follows Legion a lot. She’s becoming more self aware to the point that she may develop a fully functional AI as well. She’s more protective over us than anything.”

“You must forgive me. While I’m not against Omnics, I’m also wary of them. I did spend many years fighting them, and leading the strike force during the Nullsector Uprising.”

“Well I myself was wary of them too when I was growing up, but after Cobol and the others found me, I started warming up to them. It seems as if some omnics can become fully self aware and have a fully functioning AI, especially when they’re not intended to. Funny story about Legion. I named him after the geth in Mass Effect because they mirror one another a lot. Like Legion thinks deeply on life and self-preservation, he follows the teachings of the Iris. Theta’s more interested in making sure the group is safe. She’s kind of like me, she want to make sure people don’t suffer, and that’s enough to keep her happy.”

“For someone so young, you’ve certainly gone through a lot. “ Ana mused. The two sat in silence for a bit before Ana spoke up again. “Have you considered joining Overwatch if we can reform it?”

“With the way I am I’m not sure, I mean… Dad was an agent, but I’m not sure if I’d make the cut.”

“With your drive and how you fight, I can’t see why you couldn’t. You would need some training, but outside that, you already seem more than capable in my eyes.”

“Even with how Broken I am?”

“You’re not broken. Your relationship with Amélie and Sombra proves otherwise. Many of us have had our trials and tribulations, but it makes us better people, it makes us stronger. Yes there are times where all hope seems to be lost, but you have to keep fighting for what you believe in. Someone will always believe in you. Right now, you have at least three people who believe in you and I bet there will be more to come.”

________________________________________

 

Sombra winced as she put some weight on her bad leg. She hadn’t expected to be tagged by Chase, but then again the last month of sleeping with the woman had rough that risk, but she had usually been able to wake Chase before she lashed out. Scrolling through her screens her eyes wandered over the data, feeling uninterested and bored. Her and Widow had helped the younger woman through nightmares before, they had heard her cries but tonight was different. She had sounded fearful, like she couldn’t escape or fight back. She had sounded confused, tearful, she had sounded desperate. But one line stood out to Sombra.

_“I didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t understand!”_

Leaning back into her seat she exhaled and rested her chin in her palm. Ethan had fallen back to sleep, Sachi curled into him. Genji sat watching over the two while he meditated with Zenyatta. Lena and Emily were whispering softly to each other while Emily stroked her hair. Liao was looking over something, pulling a pained expression form time to time.

Amélie was busy talking to Mei as they prepared something in the kitchen. Sombra sighed again. She felt so bad for Chase. She knew the girl was abused, and she had seen the scars and red some of the reports, but even the ports had stated that Chase had indicated that there were some things that she wasn’t going to tell them, things that her mother  had done to her.

There was a blip on one of her screens as something popped up. Someone was trying to dig into her feelers again. Swiping the screen over and typing a few things in, she scowled, as she saw her target.

That damn omnic….

With an aggressive growl she began typing, forcing a video com open. “You really must have a deathwish if you’re trying to tack my feelers again.”

_“{Well this was an expected result.}”_ the omnic crossed her arms. _“{But it proves a means to an end regardless. I figured you’d take the bait if I tried to interfere with your operations.}”_

“Out with it Lynx.” Sombra growled watching one of the Omnic’s Ear antennae flick indignantly.

_“{I heard through the grapevine that you and two other have defected from Talon. Amazing since I didn’t think you’d go rogue. What’s even more interesting are the waves you’re creating in the process. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that that wasn’t the most ideal situation but it certainly helped.}”_

“Are you normally this chatty or are you trying to provke me?”

_“{Provoke? No. The situation in Dorado was a provocation on Zarya’s part. I’m looking to pass on a message to you, along with some proof. Let’s just say it’s from a mutual friend of ours.}”_

“Stop being cryptic. I’m not in the mood for your games tonight Lynx.”

Lynx 17 sighed, as well as an omnic could. _“{So pushy. It’s a wonder why anyone would put up with you. But as you request, my information is yours. I’ve been contacted by Mrs. Volskaya who’s a bit troubled right now. It would appear as if Talon is looking to secure an alliance with both herself and the president. Now normally that wouldn’t phase her that much, but it appears that Talon has discovered her family and have begun to threaten them.}”_

Sombra’s face began to fall. Volskaya was smart. Somehow she had figured out her name, and by the sounds of things, had decided to oppose Talon which was both a mistake but also a show of bravery. Sombra crossed her legs, wincing. “But they haven’t discovered her secret. Wait how I not saw this in any of my feeds. I’ve been watching Talon carefully.”

_“{Apparently Talon has little interest in omnics, fortunately for me. Apparently they saw her in person and Zarya threw them out. She then called me and asked me to pass on a message to to you explaining what’s going on behind the scenes. It would appear as if her family’s been targeted in the past.}”_

Sombra chewed her lip for a moment before sighing. “She’s not wrong. Actually, she mentioned a missing Nephew right?”

_“{She never specified, but any information you have any information, that would be appreciated.}”_

Sombra began to type furiously as she began a data Transfer. “Give her this. This will explain the rest to her. Tell her to look for HK 666-T6 callsign “Hellspawn”. I only found out within the last month and I had assumed he was no longer active, but I was wrong. It appears as if Talon is falsifying and hiding their records on this…. Project.”

_“{Ah, so there’s a history to this?}”_

“Something’s going to happen in Russia isn’t it?”

_“{We suspect so. Zarya has been notified and is sticking close.}”_

“If Volskaya’s in trouble, then I’ll be there to help. Let’s just say that my perceived ‘threat’ was just my refusal to show my cards. Tell her that what I told Zaryanova stands true, there’s something much bigger coming, and it involves both Talon and the Omnic crisis. I can help her, but she’s got to trust me.”

_“{Wait, you’re coming back to Russia?}”_

“With Backup. If There’s going to be Talon activity, I’m going to see who I can bring along. Let’s just say that no matter how much protection she has in Russia, she won’t be safe. But I have a plan.” Sombra glanced up noticing both Mei and Widow looking at her. “And I don’t think you will like it Lynx.”

_“{What do you mean?}”_

“We’re going to have to work together.”

_“{On the contrary, I find this highly Ironic. And why pray tell do you need my help?}”_

“I.. My girlfriend. If I’m not around, you may have to keep an eye on her. I’ll send you what you’ll need to monitor when we met. There’s not enough time to explain what the situation is, but right now, she doesn’t trust herself to be around me, but she will trust you.”

There was a pause as Lynx looked over the data looking up. _“{She’s like Joseph, isn’t she?}”_

“Yes. It was unintentional but she lashed out at me in her sleep. I’m asking you because she trusts omnics more easily than humans. She’ll work with you no questions asked.”

_“{Understandable. Shall I notify Volskaya?}”_

“Please. I’m going to count heads, and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Sombra.”

Sombra sighed, looking up at the other women. “What?”

“You’re taking a risk you know.” Widow sighed, leaning against the counter. “Talon will expect you there.”

“I know but what choice do we have? Talon’s got their well… Talons in a lot of things. If they get their Talons within Volskaya industries, We’re screwed.”

_“{Why’s that?}”_

“Because Talon’s behind the Second Omnic Crisis in Russia and they want to take it on a Global scale. With Volskaya’s mechs, they’ll gain a fair amount of leverage and a strong foothold in Russia.”

Several heads looked up towards the doorway. Chase stood there with Ana, the communicator aglow on her wrist with a holoscreen aglow. Approaching the others she kicked the Chair Lena was flopped over on, earning a curse from the Brit. Clearly chase had gotten into more of Sombra;s files that she thought.

“Makes sense, but why?”

“Talon’s working on a few nasty bugs, mainly, they want to control all omnics. Their endgame is unknown, but knowing them, they want to  try to make themselves look like the new saviors of the world while artificially creating scenarios that will need them. If they take over Volskaya’s mechs they could take control of technological leaps and even end the production of omnics and order their destruction. They want to keep people in fear and they will use technology or any other means to do so.”

“Makes sense. That means they used politics and other bureaucratic bullshit to shut us down. I knew it!”

_“{There’s also the rise in supposed Omnic attacks here in Canada.}” A voice came from the screen projected by Chase’s communicator. “{It appears as if there’s testing being preformed on both humanoid and siege Omnics. In addition, we’ve heard a lot of chatter about Egypt. Odd that Talon went after Egypt. What could they have there that’s important to them other than-}”_

“Anubis.”

The group turned again to see Phara and Angela striding through the doors. “The God program. But why would Talon want to mess with the God program if not to control the omnics?”

_“{They must think that they could control Anubis. That would be foolish. AI is self lerning, self aware and constantly evolving. If one tried to implement some sort of control, eventually the AI will quarantine the program and rebel. Omnics such as myself can’t so due to limited processing power and ethical constraints. They could program an AI strong enough to control other Omnic programs but that’s a whole host of problems of in itself. Again you could have a god Program that overtakes the controller program and that could lead to rogue attacks.}”_

“I lost you at some point.”

“Three laws of Robotics. Basically Robots can’t harm humans, robots have to follow orders unless there’s a conflict with the first law, and a robot must have a self prevervation instinct and must protect themselves unless it conflicts with the first two laws. But there’s loopholes.”

_“{Namely the fact that AI’s can reason their way out of the three laws, or may have that code of ethics removed entirely.}”_ Cobol explained. _“{There’s also the issue about how much force is enough to defend oneself, etc.}”_

“Good grief. We really opened Pandora’s box didn’t we?” Lena yawned.

“Hold now. If every program is named after God in some capacity, what is Athena Exactly?” Everyone looked towards Winston.

“Athena is not a God program. I named her that back on the Lunar colony, furthermore she cannot control omnics like other AI programs.”

_“It is in my core programing that doing so would be a grave crime, as I can not interfere with an omnics free will. That’s not to say that I can’t defend of block any attempts to compromise Overwatch systems, but no I am not a God AI.”_

“Further question. How exactly does a God AI control a omnic? I mean no offence meant, but if AIs are their own individual programs, doesn’t that mean that at their core, they are –for simplicity’s sake- just programs? Programs that can be infected, rewritten or corrupted just like any program on a computer?”

_“{You mean like a virus, or other type of malware?}”_

“Exactly. All it would take would be a rogue update or something… maybe like a worm. Something that could be passed on easily and could link or network omnics together, allowing the god programs easy access. It’s like a host computer or a worm having remote access to a victim’s computer.”

“Did we ever find out if that was the cause?” Fareeha turned to the older members of Overwatch.

“Nope.”

“Afraid not.”

“I’m limited in terms of programing, and AI research is way outside my field of expertise. I would say that you guys would be on the correct trail however.”

“Liao, Sombra, Athena, Lynx…. Let’s say that our theory is what’s actually going on. Following that theory, could one make an antivirus or some line of code that would block or quarantine a form of control like that?”

“That’s like asking someone to make a virus that will affect the majority of Linux based operating systems.”

“God you’re old.”

“I’m an enigma.”

_“{Focus!}”_

“Well… In theory yes. Problem is we’d have to close a lot of loopholes, make an unofficial patch… make one the operates on various firmware and provide versions for older AI Versions.”

There was a collective groan. “And let me guess, Talon knows this.”

“Possibly, if we can get a specimen, we could experiment. We’d also need an outdated omnic unit who would agree to test.”

“Could ask Bastion.”

_“{Can we discuss this some other time please!}”_ Lynx cried. _“{Talon could come knocking at Volskaya’s door at any time and we need to prepare.}”_

“Right. Sorry.”

“Well before anything’s done, I want to make sure everyone has a clean bill of health. If we’re going into an uncertain future I want to make sure we’re all at peak performance.” Angela crossed her arms. “And that goes for everyone. Including you Winston.”

There was a quiet “Crap.” From the gorilla who had tried to quietly escape from the good doctor. “I want you all ready and in the med bay within the hour. The children will get a free pass as I don’t want to wake them. Bring any records you have or any records of your implants, medication or recent health concerns. Fareeha, you’re excused as you got your check up after the Giza mission.”

Angela turned on her heel and marched off leaving the collective in stunned silence. Everyone exchanged a look. “So who’s going to Russia?”

“You lot have got a real deathwish.” Lena shook her head as several hands went up.

____________________________________________

 

There was something oddly satisfying about sneaking out of Gibraltar that morning. To several, it felt akin to sneaking out after cerfew. Liao, Chase, Amélie and Fareeah were cackling like teenagers as they hurriedly geared up and ran for the Stealth craft. Sombra, and Zenyatta found the concept to be foreign, but they kept quiet all the same. It wasn’t until the plane was in the air that the four began to let out a mix of nervous laughter and excitement.

“She’s so going to kill us.”

“Are you kidding me!? We’re so screwed when we get back.” Liao howled. “You’ve never seen her when she’s pissed!”

“I can hear her now when she discovers we’ve gone. The first thing she’s going to yell will be ‘Verdammt!’ follows by a slew of German curses about us being idiots.”

There was more laughter. “You think that’s bad, you’re not the one with known issues that she’d going to hound you for?”

“Do explain.”

“I have a degree in Biotech, so that means that I have some medical knowledge. She’s going to be riding my ass hard.” Liao mumbled something that made the others exchange a look.

“What?”

“Never mind. It’s an old habit I slip into.”  He fibbed. “God… .I haven’t felt this way since I was a teenager. Strict parents make for sneaky children.”

Chase couldn’t help but smirk. “We shouldn’t ask right?”

“Let’s just say this. My father passed away not knowing half the stuff I did in my youth and I kept it that way. It may also play a small role into why I was selected for Lion Force.”

“…….. Are you serious?” Sombra suddenly spoke up earning a glance from Liao. “You can be obvious as shit sometimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Rey Leon.”

“You’re not the first to call me that. Did Reyes tell you or did you figure it out on your own? If so you’re awfully slow.”

Chase winced. She wasn’t the subject of the burn yet even she could feel it.

“You’ve hidden so much of yourself, but really. You’re wearing your company’s logo on your jacket. Now I see where the Lion motif comes from. Your company is based there!”

“Say what now?” Fareeha raised an eyebrow, leaning over to view the screen Sombra pulled up. “Ugh, that explains why you had so many Safehouses there. Jesse never clued in?”

“It took Reyes a while to find out, mainly because the UN never told anyone.” Liao snickered. “Honestly after my last stunt there. I’m surprised no one went to my company to start asking questions. Nothing beats falling a good 20 or so feet through a glass pedway during a late evening peak hour and causing some water damage in the process.”

“You didn’t…”

“I did…. Well I wasn’t the one who fell, but the bastards terrorizing the citizens did. I wouldn’t be surprised if I eventually have to pay a fine. Then again I tend to hide things in plain view.”

“You know, Mei’s right, you really are an asshole.” Chase rolled her eyes. “Anyway, why was I brought along?”

“Because we’re expecting major Talon trouble. Not sure what to expect but we’re getting reports of unidentified creatures if you get my drift.”

“HKs? You think we’re going to encounter one?”

“Hellspawn.”

“No, he’s dead.”

Sombra shook her head. “Unless Talon’s doing a double misdirection, I have reason to believe that he’s going to be there.”

Chase’s hand reached up to touch the scaring on her cheek. “Sombra you’re an idiot. You realize that he wasn’t in the best frame of mind when they captured him, and he was degrading fast when we last fought. It’s damn near impossible to take down a HK. Usually when two fought, security had to terminate both of them, unless they were ordered otherwise. The DNA splicing affects our brains, the instincts and brain development don’t match so as we adjust our brain struggles to bring to both together so you usually get a dumb yet compliant brute, a highly docile subject, or a feral son of a bitch that’s sole purpose is to destroy everything. Very few are able to handle the brain rewiring. In addition they condition us the whole time and form a hierarchy. It’s bloodthirsty to say the least.”

“Wait so they form a pack mentality?”

“They force us to fight for dominance while we form our squads. Joseph and I were considered to be Alphas. Neither of us wanted to be there nor did we want the position so we decided to do an Alpha male and female structure, but Talon doesn’t want that…”

“So they used his mental degradation to their advantage. They saw you as weak and wanted to flush you out.”

“I lead by being a decent person. Most of my squad was killed. Either they didn’t display like I initially did, or they refused to abide by anyone other than me. I was supposed to be an example but I managed to fight him off before displaying. Then Reaper stepped in. Joseph forced me to make him a promise. I promised him that if he ever hit the point of no return, I’d kill him. He didn’t want to be used like he was.”

“Why did he want you to do it?”

“We were good friends, and we trusted each other. While we fought, there was times where he hesitated and had perfect mental clarity. He could barely remember his aunt or his cousin. His parents were killed by Omnics during the conflict so he was raised by Volskaya.”

“Chase…

“This is why I’m so fearful. If I take his life, then I become exactly what Talon wanted. I’m not a leader, I don’t want to be something they can use to lead their monster army.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cauchemar –nightmare (the tattoo on widow's arm.)
> 
> The mentions of abuse are based off the living hell i went through in my own life. I self censored most of the actions and put in dialogue only as to help make things a little easier to swallow, as well as to make it easier for me to write without reliving it as much as I would and do. Liao's wasn't supposed to be that long of have as many plot points as it did, but i was writing and it just happened so I kept it in. Sorry guys.
> 
> I'm purposely not mentioning where Liao's from, as the only things we know about him are:  
> a. His Last name which is Chinese  
> b. he's one of the founding 6 members. 
> 
> I am however slightly implying where i think he could be from. The glass pedway (and it associated section) is kind of a big hint that one person i know might get if anyone else knows what i'm talking about, I'll be surprised but happy. Also the lion motif is another hint.


	7. Human Afterall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission In Russia brings unforeseen consequences to both sides. Meanwhile The snark and sass of Lynx 17 and Liao continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Homework sucks, as does tests. I'm still not 100% happy with this entirely, but please, be the judge of this.

Lena watched Angela pace into the kitchen looking rather upset and tired. Not one to poke the bear, Lena kept quiet waiting for the doctor to initiate any conversation. “I’m going to kill them.”

“No you won’t. You’ll just argue and lecture them for a few hours. You love them too much.” Lena shrugs. “Only time will tell if their escapade was worth it or not.”

“At least you were upfront with why you wanted your checkup first, and at least Ethan was willing to get a checkup. Unnecessary but appreciated. Has he considered what I can do for his right ear?”

“He’s grown used to it I think. I mean…. I really don’t know.” Lena sighed. “I just hope I don’t screw up.”

“He seems healthy and happy to me.”

“Tell that to CPS. They’re watchin’ us like hawks. I mean hell, they even got pissy when I wanted to transfer Ethan to a school closer to our flat. I thought it would be safer and better for him but they still raised a fuss. Hell they’re complaining about my past with Overwatch, my condition and even asked for recent history with Emily!”

“How do you end up in these situations?”

“Hell if I know. Been asking myself the same question for the last 10 years.”

Angela nodded, watching the doorway. “And the Bastion…?”

“You know, he’s skittish around everyone, except maybe Winston and the kids. Apparently he’s more into animals… and small children. Something about adults puts him on edge.”

The women watched the Bastion from around the corner. The omnic watched back, making a worried noise while his bird zipped around singing a calming song. The omnic let out a noise resembling a sigh, still too nervous to enter the room. Lena didn’t mind flying out to get Bastion, and even welcomed the return of Reinhardt. Torbjorn had given up on the Bastion, happy to be rid of the bot. The Bastion was near defenseless, not that it seemed to bother the Bastion. Nor Ethan.

The boy had been content to start talking to the omnic, drawing the bot’s attention to the small excitable human. It was evident that Torb hadn’t been very cordial with him, but Ethan and Sachi’s curiosity drew him in closer. In addition, the bird –whom Reinhardt named Ganymede- seemed to indicate who was trustworthy. No one knew how or why, but if the bird accepted you, then the Bastion would seem to trust the animal’s judgement.

Which was why Lena was startled when Ganymede suddenly landed on the rim of her mug. Blinking up at her, Ganymede chirped happily watching the pilot. Turning towards the door, she saw her omnic friend expose himself further, worried for his feathered friend. Slowly, Lena’s hand reached out, freezing when the bird stepped onto her finger. She giggled, slowly raising Ganymede up to eye level. “Aren’t you a brave bird?”

Ganymede chirped in response fluttering up to nest in Lena’s hair. Lena tried not to move, yelping quietly as the bird began to gently tug at her hair, until she realized she was only preening her. The Bastion took a few more tentative steps towards the two woman, holding out his finger and imitating the small bird’s calls. Gany instead settled down, watching her omnic friend from the pilot’s head.

“Well the bird likes you.”

“That she does… Um... Bastion can I call you that?”

Bastion’s head tilted to one side before righting and bobbing enthusiastically. “Is that a yes? Um... Give us a thumbs up for yes and a thumbs down for no.”

Bastion’s hand flashed a thumbs up as he nodded again, again holding out his finger to the tiny bird. This time, Ganymede flew to him, perching on his finger and singing a short song. Bastion hummed back looking to the humans and bobbing his had once in thanks.

“Ah! There’s our special friend. Not giving you and trouble has he?” Reinhardt boomed as he entered watching the omnic carefully.

“Not at all Reinhardt. He was just looking for Ganymede.” Lena took a sip from her tea. “I know his weaponry is empty and he can’t self-repair, but has anyone figured out why he’s so timid? I know he’s frightened of you because of your kit.”

“Not yet. If Zenyatta were here, we may be able to translate. Torbjorn refused to repair him saying if the Bastion went on the offensive, it would be easier to destroy.”

Clearly the Bastion understood what was being said ad he let out an annoyed chatter, pointing at Rien and making a low growl like noise before hanging his head and looking remorseful. The humans spared one another a glance. It was easy to see that Bastion had taken great offense to what Reinhardt said, But Bastion wasn’t upset with the man personally, just upset that the Swede would betray him so easily.

This bot was an interesting one.

______________________________________________

“She sent you?”

Liao crossed his arms as he stared at Volskaya. Looking back and forth between the other two adults in the room and Lynx he sighed. Out of the corner of his good eye, he saw Vitasa Volskaya playing with his lions, effectively ignoring him. “Mainly because if one of Talon’s best shows up, I can catch him off guard… that and because I’ll have a fairer playing ground.”

“How do you figure that?” Katya watched the man carefully. He had been able to sneak so far into the base before purposely letting himself be caught. As soon as he mentioned Zarya, Katya and Lynx, they had swiftly brought him up to her office.

“Let’s just say he’s Ex-Blackwatch, as am I.”

Zarya’s eyebrows rose, however if Katya was surprised, her face didn’t show it. “You were part of Overwatch?”

“Yes. One of the founding members. The man known as “Reaper” is actually Gabriel Reyes. Former leader of Blackwatch. I was supposed to take over but he refused to come quietly. As such he believes me to be dead.” Liao grinned bitterly. “So I’m a perfect fit to lead you down to the ship should he decided to appear.”

“A ghost fighting a ghost. How interesting.” One could hear the smirk in Lynx’s voice. “The question is which is he?”

“Xīqìguǐ.” Liao spat. “I don’t consider myself as a ghost. I do however see myself as sneaky, or at the least, hard to find.”

“I can attest to that. I can’t find anything else on you really.” Lynx grumbled, taking note of Liao’s shit eating grin.

“Are we to understand that you are here to take us somewhere safe?” Zarya crossed her arms.

“Yes. We have a stealth aircraft ready to take us to safety. This is why Sombra and I pulled strings to ensure your daughter would be here today. She mentioned that Vitasa means a lot to you, and that she doesn’t want to see anything happen to her.”

Katya’s eyes narrowed. “So she’s told you.”

“Told me…?”

“About our… agreement.”

Liao’s eyebrows raised. “Agreement? She admitted to blackmailing you, but she said she was not at liberty to say what she used. Apparently that’ between yourself and Sombra.”

“And Aleks. Did Sombra not tell you that?”

“She did, but I didn’t want to throw her under the bus if you were unaware that she knew.”

Katya grinned, retrieving her jacket. “Then it would seem as if you’re quite loyal Mr. Liao. As you wish we’ll follow you. Are there any others to know about?”

“My self and Captian Fareeha Amari are formally trained as soldiers. Chase Edwards, Amélie Lacroix –or Widowmaker if you prefer- and Sombra have informal training. Zenyatta’s here for support In Addition, Chase or “Hunter” is standing by in case your nephew shows up. If he does, we anticipate a difficult battle.”

“Zenyatta?” Lynx’s ears perked up. “The Shambali monk from Nepal? He’s with you?”

_“{Can we cut the chatter? I’m seeing activity on the eastern perimeter and Talon Com chatter. In addition the weather’s deteriorating. I’m not sure how long the Raptora can last in Blizzard conditions.}_ Pharah noted.

“Right, sorry Pharah.” Liao handed over a small case to the humans in the room. “Please put these on. Even if we get separated we’ll be in contact. It will also let you know what we’re facing and where to head if things go sideways.”

“You expect trouble.”

“I was Blackwatch. We’re the ones you’d call on once things went sideways.” Liao whistled, bringing both Lion’s attention to him. Nodding to the door he picked up his rifle and slipped down the hall. “Security, stay on us. I have no doubt that Reyes will be skulking somewhere.”

_“{Liao, we need to hurry. Hunter has locked onto something.}”_

“Onto what? Hunter!”

Chase could be heard sniffing as snow crunched and squeaked under her shoe. “{Reaper’s here.. So is Joseph. There’s two other scents that are familiar but I can’t put my finger on either of them.}”

Liao growled. “Keep an eye out, we’re heading for the predetermined spot.”

_“{Rodger that.}”_

Silence... Then….

_“{Liao do you read?}”_

“{/Do I want to know how you got a hold of my coms?/}” Liao responded in Chinese.

_“{/Outside of Athena or Blackwatch? No. Anyway I know this isn’t exactly the time, but I need to access your documents on your implants./}”_

“{/Why…?/}”

_“{/Angela. It’s for your check up when you get back. That and she asked how I thought you were doing since I found you. She’s concerned about your eyes, your right one especially./}”_

“{/My codes rotate every half hour, but input code 03897-5463-8256. That will override it. Get what you need before the 5 minute timer is up. All codes and protocols will reset after that, including the override./}”

_“{Thank you, Liao, oh and by the way, Angela’s upset with each of you. You’re first when you get back Liao.}”_

_“{You guys are so busted.}”_

“Thanks Fareeha.” Liao mumbled, pushing as his ears picked up on the shuffle of feet. “Standby, I hear movement.”

_“{We have movement here. They want to split the teams. They’re trying to get to Katya’s office, however, I’m going to force them to stop at every floor. I’m also looking for the worst possible elevator music to play.}”_ Sombra cackled causing Katya to roll her eyes and mutter something about immaturity… or at least that what Liao THOUGHT she said. Russian wasn’t his strong point.

_“{Is smoke on the water on Clarinet an option?}”_

“Oh Sweet Jesus, you are your mother’s daughter.”

_“{-no…}”_ Chase’s comment was cut off and muffled as Sombra cackled beside her.

“I’m missing something aren’t I?”

“It’s something older than even me.” Liao smirked cursing a moment later and opening fire. “Contact!”

_“{Any signs of Reaper?}”_

“No but we almost got to the main doors.”

_“{Looks like using false signals won’t work to hide Katya}.”_

There was a deep growling moan punctated by a howl, sounding akin to a wolf or large cat growling lazily. Liao froze. “Please tell me that was Chase.”

_“{Nope but it is a HK.}”_

“Shit! We’re not far from you.”

“I need my gun.” Zarya muttered, the growling grew closer followed by a loud shot. A shotgun shot to be exact.

_“{We have it here. We need back up though!}”_ Chase yelled, her gun signaling her attack.

Liao waved Zarya and her charges on. “Coming!”

Zarya made sure the two were safe before she near threw the door off it’s hinges. Hidden around a shipping container was Chase and Sombra. Sombra, Zarya had met, but the other... She had scars, a feral snarl etched upon her face, and for some reason was smoking. “We need you now Leo!”

“What’s going on!?” Liao yelled, slamming another clip into his gun, ignoring the hiss as his gun vented steam and heat.

“He’s here…”

“Keep him occupied. Where is he?”

Chase nodded to behind the shipping container. “Round 2?”

“Oh hell yes...” Slipping around, Liao went to find the best vantage point. Pharah hovered overhead, taking aim at the large clusters of enemies while Widowmaker provided cover and called out positions from her perch. I was rather effective.

“Let’s go!”

Chase darted out with Sombra, Zarya and the Volskayas. Clutching her gun, she darted in the direction of the transport. There was a sudden roar from her left and before she could turn, she was knocked off her feet and sent sprawling. Disorientated, she scrambled to her feet, a tall imposing figure solidifying as he spoke.

“We meet again Edwards….”

Chase’s head snapped up at the voice. Standing a few feet from here was a tall redheaded Russian man, clean shaven, hair dancing in the wind. His hazel eyes looked almost red, his teeth barred in an eerie grin and he raised his right arm, the limb near encased in a heavy metal bracer similar to hers. It was the collar what got her, sitting just atop the collar of his shirt.

HK 666- T6

Joseph Volskaya, otherwise known as callsign “Hellspawn” by the lab boys who thought they had a sense of humor. Chase backed away near frozen in fear. The unstable man approached laughing maniacally. “What’s the matter? Didn’t expect me did you? Still refusing to fight back? What a shame.”

“You’ve lost it.” Chase countered, dodging the next move, backing away. “You’re become unstabe!

“Quite the opposite. I’ve evolved, I’ve overcame my fears about leading, not that it matters, there so few of us left after your escape attempt. The project was placed on hold. It’s gotten David and Kyle in so much trouble you see.”

“They’re here... It’s them I’ve been smelling isn’t it?”

Chase again leapt aside, missing the man’s bracer. “Get back here bitch!”

Chase bolted heading for the nearest supply truck, trying to climb over the various gas tanks. To her surprise Joseph was nearly on top of her, using his increased strength to tip the truck, shifting a moment later his left hand reaching for her through the bars. Chase turned her head trying to avoid his claws, his claws grazing the scar on her cheek. With a grunt she used her legs to kick up into his chest, leaving him breathless as she scrambled away from the truck. Memories of their last encounter clouded her mined as he charged.

“Get her you bastard!”

Chase used her speed to duck out of the way. Kyle Henry, a pudgy and slimy looking man who was showing signs of balding through his dirty blonde hair. He seemed to like to pretend to know what he was doing, when in fact everyone knew that he couldn’t apply the process properly. He was the handler for the HKs and one of the men who openly allowed the torture and mistreatment of HKs and other test subjects, his favorite method being to use Tasers on subjects. He had been known to provoke HKs into fighting each other and even starting betting pools, using the poor unfortunate souls as entertainment.

That made her sick.

Glancing to Joseph’s indicator, she saw it flickering everywhere from Green to strobing red. The man was unstable as it was, and this just made it worse. Glancing to Zarya and the others she knew what she had to do. Letting out a roar of her own, she shifted, the smoky essence engulfing both her and the red and black striped beast in front of her. In retrospect, shifting was a bad idea, but she had the advantage. She was armored and more stable. However Joseph had raw strength on his side. The movement she shifted, he was on top of her, the two fighting like crazed animals.

The snow around them began to turn crimson with blood. Unlike the first time, Chase was willing to fight back. She had something to fight for this time. As the two tore into each other, both Sombra and Zarya worked on protecting Volskaya and her daughter. Sombra watched in horror as both creatures fought, both clearly locked into battle and fighting to the death.

“Regretting your decision to let them go now aren’t you Sombra?” Sombra looked up into David’s face. The man’s pallid thick face sneered, his bright blue eyes contrasting with platinum blond hair. “If you hadn’t had done this, they wouldn’t be fighting. Think about how much blood you have on your hands now. Your little bitch is going to die, as are you and your friends. I don’t get why you care so much about them, especially her. They’re just tools, mindless animals when we want them to be.”

“I don’t think so pendejo.” Sombra retorted aiming her gun at the director. “Chase has shown more compassion that anyone I’ve ever met. She does so much and asks for nothing in return. She’s more human than the entire collective of Talon. Besides, she gives me something to fight for. She’s one of the few people I can rely on.”

“It that so…?” Sombra’s attention turned, crying out as her free hand was grabbed at the wrist and twisted by the former Blackwatch agent. “Well I’m afraid that your little stunt as killed her. You should have known better than to think that your plan will always pan out the way you want. Your actions always have unintended consequences.”

“And you’d know all about, that wouldn’t you Reyes?”

Reaper’s head turned too slow, catching the butt of the rifle in his mask before he ghosted away to avoid a storm of bullets. Liao landed deftly glaring at Reyes with a death glare. “You.”

“Hello Reyes.. Long time no see.”

“I should have known you’d be alive you insufferable-“

A loud roar shook the area as Chase gained the upper hand in the fight, using a few clawed swipes with her paws to cause damage on Joseph’s face. As the beast staggered, Chase lunged, pulling at the collar at his neck. She didn’t care how injured she got from this, she had an idea.

The approaching Talon soldiers were stunned as they watched the four fight. Torn between their desire to fight and help their own, but terrified of the life or death battles going on between the two dancing pairs, they could only watch in horror as the more dangerous of the two finally parted with the red furred creature panting in the snow as the blizzard kicked up.

Joseph looked up as he fell back into his human form, glaring at the beast what was Chase. His head hurt. He remembered her but not like this, confusion overtook him, as pain drove him into another fit of rage but something was off. The logical side of him brain gained brief control, letting him know that his neck felt lighter for the first time in years. Looking up he saw something in her hand. Reaching for his neck he felt for the one thing he hated, the one thing that marked him as anything other than human.

The collar was gone. And for the first time in years, his mind was clear and stable.

With a low growl Chase held the collar. _“/Looking for this Joseph?/”_

His eyes widened, understanding her as she remained in her bestial form. She raised the collar. _“/You always wanted your freedom, didn’t you? Well now you are./”_

“But not from my mind, not from what I am.” He groaned as he struggled to keep his mind clear. “You promised to kill me!”

Katya’s eyes widened. She had never heard her nephew indicate that he wanted to perish in any way, on the contrary, he was terrified of death. He hated the concept of it since he was taken in by her following the omnic attack. But to seek release from another, that was shocking.

“Joseph!” She cried, held back by Zarya. The man winced and clawed at his head as he spoke.

“They won’t stop. Don’t… Don’t let them take me alive Chase!”

Chase’s eyes narrowed as she watched. _“/There’s only one choice then Joseph. Make a stand with me. We must fight. I know you hate to do it but we must. Trust me. I hate what I’m about to do, but if it works, then it’s worth it./”_

He felt his rage surge again leaping at her, eyes deep red as he closed in on her. Knowing she was playing into the hands of Talon, Chase made a choice. A choice that she knew would be used against her. Taking a deep breath, she threw her head back and let out a terrifying cry. To the casual observer, it sounded like a cross between a loud tiger roar and the loud howl of a wolf, with an underlying bark like laugh. Her body language screamed an aggressive yet defensive gesture. Taking another breath she repeated the cry, baring her teeth as she sounded her challenge.

Joseph’s head snapped back and he answered in kind standing on shaky legs and he slowly shifted to join her. It was a bitter sweet song, a herald of war. Off to one side the two scientists were freaking out. Zarya didn’t catch what they were saying, but she distinctively hear them say something about “dominating”. Both beasts were watching the scientists breathing heavily as they sized up their tormenters.  
  
“I was not expecting this.” Reaper rasped as both beasts nodded and charged the forces, raining carnage against them. It took all their willpower to usher the Volskayas to the transport. With only a fraction of their forces, it was harder to defend them, especially when Sombra was shot. Lynx stepped up to the plate however, throwing anything she could get her hands on. Zenyatta had finally given up on being peaceful and had begun to put his orbs to good use. Zarya had to admit, the sound of the Omnic’s orbs smacking people in the head was oddly satisfying. It was like the ultimate game of dodgeball, only if you got hit, you were knocked out if you were lucky.

Well Zarya didn’t care as long as the Talon forces were taken out one way or another.

Liao however was having too much fun in his rematch with Reaper. Unlike Morrison and Reyes, age had not slowed him down. Then again he had to thank his consistent regimen for helping him over the years. Coupled with Jiù zhǔ and Yōulíng running interference at key moments, he thought things were going well. Ducking into cover, he checked his rifle. He only has a few clips on him, so thankfully he had been able to conserve ammo by switching to secondary file with plasma bursts. It wasn’t as good as pulse rounds and it caused for a lot more cooldown, but it helped. The one thing he hated about the fight was how damn cold it was.

“Still using that dinky old Sar Rifle? What is this, the early 2000’s?”

Liao laughed. He’d always kept the same model rifle. True there were newer models, but he couldn’t get his hands on them. The next best thing was to strip the weapon and upgrade it. Even in Overwatch he had been modifying it, and after the fall, he decided to do a complete retrofit. It had served him well for many years. Peeking around the corner he dashed out, taking a few more potshots. “Still using dual low recoil shotguns Reyes? Nice outfit by the way, very edgy.”

The Latino snarled. “Bad enough I have Akande breathing down my neck about Amari and Morrison. Now I’ll have to hear about you too!”

“Aww what’s the matter? Upset that you can’t bump us off? It’s alright, I always know you had issues when it came to your performance reviews.”

A shot just missed Liao’s head, making the man laugh again. “Struck a nerve did I? Still sore over all that shit huh?”

“I will kill you.”

“Yeah you’ve said that before… and we can clearly see how well that went. Let me tell you, you’re at the top of a lot of shitlists right now. You probably should stop and reevaluate your life choices.”

“Oh really? I could say the same for you…”

Liao strapped his rifle to his back pulling out his knife. He knew the saying about bringing a knife to a gunfight. But Winston had given him a big hint, one that he has performed years prior and had carried over to whatever the hell Reyes now was.

As soon as Reye’s leg came into view, Liao plunged the electrified steel into his calf. Reaper cried out as Liao tackled him over. “I can’t believe that worked a second time.”

“Not quite.”

Reaper dissolved under him, reforming behind him and pointing the barrel at the back of the younger’s skull. Well shit, he hadn’t anticipated this. He bit his lip and sighed. Well this was not a position he wanted to find himself in. How the hell was he supposed to get out of this one?

Luckily his solution came in the form of a loud pained yelp and a loud anguished roar. Reaper’s head snapped up. “What the hell was that?”

Liao rolled away, pulling out his rifle and aiming at Reapers chest, unloading his clip into the wraith. Armor plating could only do so much, but it was worth it as Reaper fell, struggling to stay on his feet. Liao threw the spent clip to the ground, slamming in another clip as his gun cooled again. Before he could open his mouth there was a bloodthirsty roar followed by a blood curdling scream that cut through the howling wind. Both men froze. What the hell was that?

_“{Reaper status.}”_

Reaper dissolved, flitting behind cover as he croaked. “Heavily wounded. On the west side. Liao’s here with me and he’s more trouble than I anticipated. Especially with those lions.”

_“{We’re pulling out. The mission was an utter failure. We can’t locate Volskaya, Hellspawn and Kyle are dead and David’s critiallly injured. In addition Hunter’s gone berserk.}”_

“Can’t we capture her?” Reaper grunted, trying to make his way away from Liao and his patrolling Lions. “What about our reinforcements?”

_“{Negative. She’s tearing through our forces. She’s dominate. We’re coming to get you. Hold out till we get there.}”_

  
“Hurry, his mechs could tear me apart, especially the firebreathing one. Now that one’s a pain.” Reaper held his chest, his claws coated with a mixture of red and a black inky mess. He could faintly hear the Lions patrolling in the snow, growling to one another as they searched. Liao was probably searching too. Damn him.

More screams and gunshots echoed behind him as he ran. From what he could hear, Chase was really going through the reinforcements. He couldn’t care less if they were being used as cannon fodder, As long as he got out of this shithole.

He looked up seeing the aircraft approach, using the last of his energy to wraith up the ramp so they could take off. He was a bit put off by the blood smeared up the ramp, but he pretended to ignore it, hearing David’s shocked whimpers as he fell into the nearest seat.

Akande wasn’t going to be happy.

 

“What happened?”

As predicted some hours later, Akande had seeked out both men and had sat down in the medical bay with them. David was still a bit loopy from the drugs being pumped into his system and Reaper was flexing his smoking hand as his body tried to heal itself. “Liao happened.”

“Explain.”

“I thought years ago I had killed him before Zurich, but apparently he either got really lucky or Ziegler had something to do with it. Regardless, he’s up to his old tricks again. That’s to say that he’s sneaking around and being an insufferable shit.”

“And you tried to kill him.”

“He’s the founder of that company that makes the eye prosthetics and Lion drones. Don’t ask me to pronounce it, I can’t fucking speak Chinese.”

“…… That explains why a lot of our agents have gone missing in Asia. Do you know where he’s located?”

“No but his company should be a hint. As to where he’s from.”

“That explains even more. It was always hard to even try to enter sections of the South East, and why it was damn near impossible in two countries.”

“I STILL think it was him involved with our infiltration team at that station.”

“Well it makes sense, I mean he knows the area all too well. And you said he has Lions?”

“Mechs yes, There’ too big to be simple drones. Akande, it’s one thing to take down Morrison and Amari, but if the three of them come together, they it’s going to make things just that much more difficult. Liao can hid not only himself, but others. If that’s the case than Overwatch may get the advantage. Combine him with Sombra…. We’re going to lose out edge if we haven’t already. Worse still is the fact that he was my second in command in Blackwatch, and if Overwatch is back, there’s a good chance that Blackwatch will be revived with him at the helm.”

“As well, as a Dominate HK.” Dave chimed in. “Hunter’s too dangerous now. We’ve offed her squad, offed Hellspawn… if we use a squad or any other HK, she may try to dominate again.”

“What about Kyle. What happened to him?”

“He broke ranks and tried to take out Volskyia himself but hit Sombra instead. Hunter went crazy and tried to attack him but Kyle kept moving so Hunter couldn’t hit him. Hellspawn threw himself behind him and held him in place, sacrificing himself to make sure we have further difficulty with the program.”

“And how did she get you?”

David shrugged. “She went berserk and attacked me. Bit my leg and tried to pull me back. She dislocated my leg at the hip and before we got her off….” He pointed to his right leg, which had been so mangled it that to be amputated above the knee.

Akande fell silent. This was bad. The HKs were becoming too unpredictable. A liability. Hunter especially, but…

“Was there any other HKs which were on her mental capacity?”

“HK 307-4E, Otherwise known as Colton White or “Killer.” His mental state is deteriorating as well, but much slower than the others, he’s closer the Hunter. They hate each other, but he’s one of the few that she will willingly fight. Why?”

“Have him prepped for a mission. His mission will be to capture or eliminate Hunter. I prefer that we capture her. She could still be of use. If she struggles too much eliminate her.”

“What about Overwatch? What do we do with them?”

“They’re still limited, but they’re becoming a pest. I could have our people in the UN make another move against them, but there’s that woman who’s pushing to reinstate Overwatch. She’s a threat, but we can afford to ignore her for a bit longer. Once the time comes, we can eliminate her as well.”

Reaper stayed silent. He had seen feeds of her, the woman fighting for the return of Overwatch. He didn’t want to admit it but he knew her. He already decided that he wouldn’t harm her.

He wouldn’t harm his “niece”. He refused to harm the daughter of Jack Morrison.  
_______________________________________________________

Angela had her hands full when the others returned. Contrary to what Reaper was first told, Joesph had been alive, but had passed away shortly after reaching Gibraltar. At his request, he was to be cremated and his ashes spread across one of his favorite walking paths once they had returned back in Russia. He had died free and on the Gibraltar base, having fought alongside Overwatch as was his dream.

Sombra had been next, getting a full exam in the process. Chase had stuck in the back corner of the room glowering as people slowly cleared out. Sombra and Widowmaker admitted that Chase watching them with “Hunter eyes” was extremely unnerving. Her scarella had gone pitch black and her pupils seemed to dim as she watched. She thankfully relented the act when it was time for her exam. Angela got just as many answers out of Chase as Sombra had. They had however gotten Chase ‘s consent to look through her records, and agreed to speak with her to fill in the blanks.

However, between Talon’s treatment, Chase’s experiences with her mother and what her omnic friends could scrape together, they found that Chase was somewhat underweight, the modified SEP and her HK enhancements being one of the few things keeping her going. The recent abundance of food had helped to put some weight back on her, but she needed more. She was also hesitant about taking food, or how much she was allowed.

Angela had allowed both former Talon members to stay in the room with her during the exam, and had even taken Chase’s advice to restrain her while she took samples. Chase was rather volatile and had nearly snapped until Sombra asked the doctor if she had any liquid gel packs. Adjusting a few things, they eventually took Chase’s samples, while keeping her calm and compliant. Angela didn’t understand why the packs has calmed Chase, but Sombra assured her that it was mentioned in the HK file. Something about the sensation of water prevented the HKs from smoking and discouraged shifting.

Letting the women go, Angela leaned against the counter of the med bay and sighed. Now she had to find Liao. She had a few things to discuss with him and Mei. Some of the things they wouldn’t like. It was best to keep them on the same page she guessed. If Mei’s samples were anything to go by, she would need additional testing, but she could explain that by claiming that she wanted to make sure it was the 9 years of Cyrosleep and not something else. She didn’t want false positives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Xīqìguǐ – something like sucking ghost, could suck or drain the life-force of humans. Fitting for Reaper’s life drain/ consumption of souls to heal in game. 
> 
> Pendejo- stupid
> 
>  
> 
> I'm not confident in the pacing of the fighting scenes here, but it was either make a massive chapter where things aren't happening in sync or do it this way in the hopes that i wouldn't be doing some time hopping or confusing myself. 
> 
> Also after careful consideration and discussion with 2 Friends, I've finally decided that I'm ready to post my headcanon/ speculation as to where Liao's from. That will be mentioned in an upcoming chapter.
> 
> Also there's 2 more things i want to mention: 
> 
> The "smoke on the water on Clarinet"Thing came from the Canadian comedian Ron James. I thought it was a joke until i looked it up one day. It is that bad. It could be a lot worse but it is up there. 
> 
> Also I was playing comp towards the end of Season 6 (open season on tryhards and a massive losing spree, but I'm still in silver so it's better than I thought I'd be...) and our Zenyatta was getting a few nice headshots, and i was imagining the sound of his orbs smacking people in the head. What I imagined was oddly satisfying, so i mentioned it being "like the ultimate game of dodgeball". My team found it amusing so I decided to include it. 
> 
> Now I'm Imagining Zenyatta's orbs replaced with dodge-balls and him wiffing them at opponents. Great....


	8. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the information you have, gives you answers that you didn't really want. Other times it answers questions you didn't really knew you had. Sometimes you really do need to just sit down and re-evaluate things as is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHH! The hype! This could not have come at a better time! I just had to update this with a new chapter! SPOILERS for those who have yet to see the announcements from today. Also I'm not sure why the chapter notes from chapter 1 were in the ending notes from last chapter. I'm trying to see why they're they and how i can remove them.
> 
> Also this chapter alone is atleast 15-17 pages. 
> 
> Oh hey look: Cards against humanity!
> 
> Edit: why are the chapter 1 notes appearing in this chapter!?

“I don’t get the purpose of this game.”

“Me neither.”

Ethan looked up at the three Omnics. “It’s just to pass time, person with the most cards wins. Now ask.”

“Fine…” Lynx looked over her card. “Do you have a seven?”

“Go fish.”

“Who came up with this?”

“Dunno…” Vitasa mumbled, not at all comfortable with her English.

“It’s old. Older that Grandpa Rienhardt.” Sachi shrugged. “Bastion, do you have a 2?”

Bastion stared at his hand and nodded. Gany pulled at the card allowing Sachi to gently pull it from the Omnic’s hand.

“You know…. Now I’ve truly seen everything.” Zarya mumbled from the couch watching the kids play the card game.

Lena snickered. “No you haven’t luv. Ethan was teaching Bastion how to dance earlier. Now that’s interesting.”

Zarya crossed her arms. Ever since she had met Lynx, her stance against omnics had been shaken. Huffing she watched as the omnics began to catch onto the game. Katya was wary as well, but happy that her daughter was enjoying herself. She hadn’t been phased by the omnics much –though the Bastion had nearly given her a heart attack until she realized that the Bastion’s weaponry had been removed- but it was the AI and the giant talking Gorilla that had made her take a double take. The Japanese dragons she had taken better, especially when they popped up, not much bigger than ferrets.

“Well that was a pain in the ass.” Liao grumbled carrying a black and white box under his arm. “Anyway, who’s up for a game of cards?”

“Hang on! That’s for older audiences!”

 “Oh please!” Ethan called from the table. “Everyone’s played that game at least once.”

“Yeah Ame and I played it loads of times.”

“Is that the game where there’s a card hidden in the long box?”

Liao grinned. “I’ll deal.”

“Annnnnnd I’m out!” Winston waved his hand. “I’m not getting involved with this.”

The humans laughed as it was decided the kids could stay but were forbidden from leaving the table (“No sense in that really if they can still hear us.” Lena pointed out as Angela swatted at her with a “Shut up Lena.”) while the omnics abandoned the game to listen. Liao dealt the cards, watching Lena, Pharah, Zarya, Ana, Mei, Angela and Reinhardt join. Sombra, Widow and Chase sat off to the side watching with Katya. “Ok rules. Playing down the deck. We have all the expansions so this will take a while. No holds bared. Be as offensive, politically incorrect and crude as you can be. No blank cards… sorry but it’s too easy to read everyone’s hand writing.”

“How do we select who’s first?”

“I’ll be the Czar. We’ll go clockwise.” Zarya motioned as she looked at her cards and groaned. “What is the rule for trash cards?”

“One black card is sacrificed to add new cards to you hand. Those cards will be placed back into the deck and the deck reshuffled. You can keep the cards you want.”

Zarya huffed and put her hand down, flipping over the first card and rolling her eyes. “What will always get you laid?”

The kids were already giggling as the adults picked their cards. Angela, Lena, and Liao slapped their cards down almost immediately. Pharah paused and looked to Ana. “Sorry mom.”

“That raises questions.”

Ana, Mei and Reinhardt were the last to play. There was a loud groan and Reinhardt picked up a white card. “Why do I always get these cards?”

“Here we go again!” Lena giggled as Emily pulled the cockney into her lap.

“What will always get you laid?” Zarya began, groaning as she looked at the eagerly awaiting children, knowing mistakes and instant regret were inbound. “A bleached asshole, Dead parents-“

“Well we know who’s that is.” Liao looked across to the younger Egyptian who snorted.

“Some god damn peace and quiet, a big black d-..nyet. I’m not repeating that.”

“Awwww…” the kids chorused.

“Pacman uncontrollably guzzling c-“ Zarya paused, watching the adults around her struggle not to laugh. “I hate all of you.”

The group laughed at the annoyed Russian. This were going from 0 to 10 rather quickly. “Cunnil- NYET!”

“You guys are real dicks.” Chase called out. “Then again I’d do the same.”

“And finially 2 girls, one cup….” Zarya glared at the group of adults, causing a fresh round of giggles. “I’m choosing this one.” She held up the card depicting a sexual act.

“That’s one luv.” Lena cackled. “True story.”

“Didn’t need to know that.” Mei shook her head as Lena took the card.

“I was peace and quiet.” Ana chuckled earning a glare from her daughter.

“Alright, here we go fuckers!” Liao cheered. “And continuing the theme from the last card, how did I lose my virginity?”

From the table they heard Ethan choke as he fought to keep his laughter hidden. Even the Bastion let out an odd noise that resembled laughter.

Again, the cards were slapped down rather hastily. Liao picked them up and laughed. “We’re off to just the right start. How did I lose my virginity? Barack Obama, a micropenis, a 40 gallon drum of lube….The Chinese Gymnastics’ team…. Wow…. Um… Really?”

“DAAAYUM!” It was nice to know that everyone kept that meme alive.

“Sounds like a fun Saturday night.” Sombra commented causing Chase to laugh hysterically.

“Really? That meme with this card? There’s something wrong with these kids. A big fluffy Siberian bear… which I’m guessing is Zarya’s…again raising questions.” There was a yelp as Zarya spouted frustrated Russian as Liao continued to read.

“A coffee enema and my personal favorite… Just the tip. Ok who lost their virginity with just the tip?”

For a moment there was silence as everyone looked around, holding their laughter back. A moment later a hand reached over and took the black card. “Xièxiè húndàn.”

“MEI!”

The room exploded with laughter as she smiled coyly at the man next to her, winking. “You know what they say, true story.”

“Someone played to the Czar.” Lena shook her head. “Really can we get the kids out of here? I’m about to bust out some seriously questionable cards.

“I don’t know Lena. I’m quite the match.”

“Be lucky I’m not playing. I’m pretty fucked up.”

It was going to be a long night.

______________________________________________________

 

In the end, Mei won, followed closely by Lena. At one point the kids wormed their way into the next game and turned out to be as bad as or worse than the adults. Eventually they all tired and went to bed, Emily and Angela being two of the first followed by Mei and Liao. Liao needed to have an in-depth examination regarding his implants, and while he was out Angela was going to address his right eye while Emily assisted.

Once everyone else had gone off, it left only Chase and Sombra awake. The two didn’t feel like sleeping much but, they had retired to their room anyway.

“You ok Chase?”

Chase shrugged. “More worried about you. How’s your leg?”

“Angela patched it up. There’s a faint scar there now, but it’s fine. Same for the gunshot wounds. But really how are you doing?”

Chase huffed. “Fine.. just… I didn’t want that to happen to him.”

“It wasn’t your fault Chase.”

“I know…” The hacker put the screen away and hugged Chase. Chase cuddled, staying quiet for a while before speaking again. “Olivia.”

“Mm?”

“You read my file right? You know some of what I’ve been through right?”

“Yeah I did…. I wish I could have stopped the bitch.”

“Mmm… You realize, this is why I was hesitant to be with you right? I’ve been hurt and abandoned so many times I’m not sure if I can continue…. This I mean… I’m not trying to manipulate you or nothing just…. This is why I’m still nervous some times.”

“I understand. Look I’m glad you’re being open with me. It helps, it really does. Hey, Chase... When the time comes, I want to share something with you. It helps me, especially with what happened during the crisis.”

Chase’s head tilted. “And what’s that?”

“You’ll find out in November.”

“Aww Olivia….”

“Shh!” Sombra looked away. “Someone may hear.”

“Look if Katya, Zarya, Lynx and I know, what does it matter?”

“Knowledge is power. It’s bad enough that they know, but the conspiracy may track me down.”

“You mean Talon.”

“Look, this is a big thing Chase. I told you because I love you and I trust you. I haven’t been able to trust anyone as much as you before. You’re nothing but loyal to me when I told you my name, I was basically putting my life in your hands. I knew I could trust you.”

“And here you are looking at privileged information, and snooping around to find me. Mind you I said it was ok but even so you probably did research even before I gave you permission.”

“Touché, Ms. ‘going through a decrypted file while I was asleep’.”

“Rebuttal statement: it pertained to me as well.”

“Anyway, I’m checking the feeds and I looks like we still have some people to convince. Luckily I reached out to Morrison’s daughter. She’s willing to work with us, and will be our trump card in the UN. We have together a few more people.”

“Namely the Junkers, Torb and maybe 2-4 others…. Any others we pick up will be a bonus.”

“You have a list of others?”

“Mainly the omnics back home… maybe some other people. It will be easier if we have people not listed on the UN’s Petras list. In addition when people start screaming for Overwatch, if we can plant the seeds, we can put more pressure on governments the in essence the UN. If we could find out who has connections to Talon, we could circumvent those countries and perhaps even ask for help from those who won’t help Talon.”

“This is why I like your mind. You try to think of everything.”

“Common sense really. Actually, let’s start easy. What countries are on the fence about Overwatch activity?”

Sombra pulled up a screen, leaning Chase back against her as she studied the screen. “Not many. Switzerland, Austria and Lichtenstein are remaining neutral funnily enough… Numbani has recently withdrew their support from the Petras act, pending review…. England is the biggest contender who refuses one way or another to fully support it. Oddly, the Four Asian Tigers and Malaysia are also refusing to sign the act. Other South East Asian nations have seen Overwatch activity, but deny allegations of refusing to abide by the Petras act.”

“Refresh my memory, but didn’t China hold out for a while before signing? Also what would South East Asia gain by not signing the deal. Am I missing something?”

“Some places were hit hard by the Omnic crisis. Some place never recovered. Sections of countries will never recover. And is some places, Omnics still hold strongholds but are at a constant stalemate with humans. Some places there’s a lot of politics and private boardroom meetings.”

“So some countries refused to sign because they still have connections to Former or closet Overwatch agents.”

“It seems that way.”

Chase tapped her chin. “What about Austrailia?”

“Australia was on the fence for the longest time, but then refused to agree with the Petras act. It could partially be because of the ALF situation which lead to the Junkers and Junkertown.”

“And then there’s the Vishkar in Brazil.”

“There’s too much going on.

“Back to the subject, what was your plan?”

“See if we could convince them with the proof that you found that we need Overwatch back. The Countries on the fence are the first one we ask. All the while “Lily” helps plead our case.”

“Nothing’s ever simple with you is it?”

______________________________________

 

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. It lines up around the time you two rejoined each other.”

Mei sighed. “The one time I didn’t listen to him…”

“It’s not a bad thing.” Angela offered watching the Chinese woman pace around the bed.

“Angela, I thought I was having trouble because of the Cyrosleep, now I find this out? This could have implications. I’m 40!”

“Biologically you’re 30, so your risk is alleviated somewhat.”

“I kind of wish you’d told us when he was awake.” Mei sighed sitting next to the bed, watching Liao sleep. The procedure had went well, and had went better than expected with Emily’s help. For the moment, the right side of Liao’s face was covered to allow his “eye” to heal. It would take days to see if his body would accept the implant and a few days more the area around the eye to heal. At most he’d be off mission for 2 weeks. But at least he’d be on his feet again within a few hours.

“And his other implants?”

“Once he’s recovered he’ll be replacing them. These ones can be replaced much more easily. We’d do it now but it would be too much on his system. He has the base already in, but I really must disagree with his method of Self surgery. It’s dangerous.”

Mei winced. She forgot that the man experimented on himself. “But he’s fine otherwise right?”

“Certainly. He could do with some more downtime but otherwise he’s the image of health. You may want to reactivate his Lions at some point. He said something about shutting them down during the procedure.”

Mei nodded. “I thought he would have brought his implants offline.”

“Apparently there have been some scares in the past. For example he can apparently slow his heart considerably and using minor pulses from his implants he can practically fake cardiac arrest. It would appear that in the past the implants weren’t broadcasting correctly so his lions actually though that he was deceased.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was. He’s proven he can at least mask his pulse and heartbeat somehow. I’m suspecting deep meditation mixed with some help from his implants. He did mention something about a pacemaker being built into his implants in the events that he actually goes under. I’m not sure, you can read his research or ask him about it later.”

Mei sighed deeply. That man she swore. “How long until he comes around?”

“At least another hour or so. I couldn’t exactly use light sedatives on him. He always was able to fight them off fairly well. Even so I had to restrain him.”

“Lucky. I remember that mission in Germany. They must have added a lot to drug even Rienhardt. Still don’t know how they managed to drug us all.” Mei shuddered. The Germany mission was one of the first missions she had went on. She was used as the decoy, allowing the joint Blackwatch and Overwatch team slip in to gather Intel so they could make their next move. Apparently the celebratory liquor had been spiked and it had knocked everyone out –even the super soldiers. They had awoken to Liao rampaging through the hotel room as their captors struggled to gain control of him. Gérard had been helping him thank god, as the wine drinker drank sparingly and only preferred finer wines. Reyes, Morrison Rienhardt and Torb had all been useless, leaving the groggy Ana, Mei, Jesse and Genji to fight off their attackers.

Things had not ended well but at least they had somehow managed to repel their attackers. It became apparent afterwards that Liao had a problem with sedatives and grew rather violent as he awoke and began to fight the drugs off. They suspected that it was confusion induced. That or it was from something he wasn’t telling them.

 Then again, he had broken free of a Talon trap at least once. No one spoke about the events nor the aftermath. All anyone knew was that Liao had went missing a few weeks after breaking free and mysteriously those involved with his entrapment mysteriously turned up deceased.

At least, that was the official story and everyone was sticking to it.

“But are you completely serious Angela?”

“I’m taking you off combat duty as a precaution. I can run additional tests to make sure, especially where it’s still only early.”

“That’s alright, I wasn’t really one for combat anyway.” Mei shrugged.

Silently behind them, Liao had began to stir.

 

It was dark as hell when he woke up, leading him to think that either it was still night time, or he was somewhere there was no natural light. He growled as he tried to move, panicking as he looked down to see himself restrained. One eye impaired, he tried to remember the last thing he remembered before going out.  Relaxing a bit as he realized where he was, he looked down at the restraints. He grumbled. Mercy certainly had him to a T. There was no way he was getting the binds off this time.

Not without help.

As if on cue, the two large lions entered the medical wing, their orange eyes searching the room for him. He wiggled in his restraints, indicating that he needed help, before the lions moved in to pull him out of his binds. Working as a team, one worked on his wrist while the other went after his ankle. It took delicate work, work the even the lions had difficulty with. Carefully using their sharp claws, they hooked the tips under the strip of leather that went over and under the belt buckle and pulled until they could grip it with their teeth. Pulling a bit on the opposite end, the binds loosened and he was able to release himself from his other binds.

Slipping out of bed, he nearly fell flat on his face, his body weak from the procedure and lack of food. Cursing quietly, he got to his feet and wobbled to the door. He needed food. He didn’t care what kind it was, as long as he could eat it. Hobbling slowly down the halls supported by his lions, he made his way to the kitchen. He paused before reaching the door. Someone was in there, he heard voices. He could only make out the low rumble of Reinhardt’s voice. Was the German man in pain, or just restless? Maybe he was talking to DVA. H was a fan of her streams afterall.

Chancing it, he hit the button and stepped in as the door opened. Inside sat Ana and Rein at a table. Liao nodded as he staggered in. “Late night meeting or am I interrupting something?”

“No, we just needed to vent is all dear.” Ana smiled sweetly. “Are you sure you should be out of bed?”

“No, but this beats panicking and being held down while I starve for several more hours.” Liao headed for the fridge, but sopped when he felt Ana’s hand on the middle of his back.

“Go sit down, I’ll get you something. You look like you’re about to fall over.”

“I already did.” Liao chuckled weakly, taking the nearest seat and sighing as his body relaxed. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing important.”

“Mmm.” Liao shrugged.  “If you say so.”

“How do you feel?” Ana asked.

“Weak and hungry. Otherwise fine.”

“You’re not my friend, look at yourself! You’re shaking!”

Liao looked down, his hands were trembling, just enough that he wouldn’t normally notice. “It’s hunger induced.”

“That’s shit and you know it.” Ana waggled her finger. “We all know you have sedation problems.”

“I react badly to some sedatives ok?” Liao looked down at his hands. When he was 10 he had to have his appendix removed after it nearly ruptured. All had been fine until he had been injected with a sedative before the operation. He remembered struggling to breathe, unable to move or call for the nurses before he had passed out. He had woken up some time later, his appendix out and heavily monitored. The only thing that had saved him was the fact that his mother had returned shortly after he passed out, as well as the fact that his body was quickly fighting off the sedative.

Granted that kind of sedative was rarely used anymore, but it still induced some panic response in him, made worse by the fact that the sedative what was more commonly used now had the side effect of aggression. Unfortunately he was part of the statistic in which aggression appeared to hit harder and more commonly.

Organic and natural sedatives however didn’t bother him in the slightest.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Ana placed a plate down in front of him. “Here. Leftover hotpot isn’t my first choice, but its food.”

Liao looked it over. “This actually looks good. Who made it?”

“Surprisingly Chase. She asked Mei for some suggestions. It’s chicken.”

“I could care less what kind of meat it is.” Liao mixed it around. There was a healthy amount of carrots, and chicken. Taking a snip before he took a spoonful he nodded. “Not bad. A bit too salty.”

“Are you sure it’s not you?”

Liao smirked. “Well played.”

“Sooooo?”

“So what?”

“How did you take the news?”

Liao paused, spoon frozen halfway to his mouth. “What news?”

Rienhardt looked shocked. “Mei didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Liao took another spoonful watching the old German. “I was out for hours.”

Ana and Reinhardt exchanged a glance. “What happened guys? I’m getting worried.”

“It’s best you ask her.”

“Why’re you so stubborn ah.”

“I was starting to wonder when we’d hear you say that.” Ana chuckled. “It’s been a while since we heard you slip back into-“

“Alright auntie!”  Liao waved her off. Sighing he settled back into his meal. “So any other news, or should I find a way to amuse myself?”

“Actually.” Lynx’s head popped up over the back of the couch. “Sombra Mercy, chase and I were looking into Chase’s files and we came across something. Something odd that we needed your input on.”

Liao looked up as the omnic got to her feet and approached, her ears flicking nervously. “We came across an interesting fact. Turns out there’s a missing name on HK project. Sure Kyle and David were then Director and the handler respectively, but they didn’t come up with the splice. Someone else did that.”

“Why would someone try to splice humans and animals together? What would be the purpose?”

“Well as you know, Talon’s trying to recreate the SEP formula but they’ve been unable to create a pure or exact match. At the same time, someone was working on DNA splices and David had the idea of combining the two projects. Essentially they wanted to see how Splice subjects would react to the SEP. Turns out that they could make highly volatile –if unstable- soldiers.”

“So make a fucked up super soldier. Great.” Liao gulped down the broth. “And Chase is the result. Have you tried to spar with her? Fighting Genji is essentially playing Wackamole with a ninja. When Chase shifts, it’s like fighting an animal. She combines speed with brute force, but she lacks vitality and she’s vulnerable while shifting.”

“Here’s the thing. Genetic splicing is highly illegal especially the way it’s been done thus far. I’m lead to believe that Overwatch once shut down several labs which operated in such capacity.”

Liao’s head snapped up as it clicked in. “Fuck. That bitch!”

Lynx’s head tilted as the other older members of Overwatch stared at him. “What?”

Liao was gone, running for Angela’s office. He knew who was behind the splice now. Just how much of Blackwatch had defected to Talon during the fall? Damn Reyes! Damn him to hell! He had allowed this. He had done this!

“Angela!” He roared from down the hall, hearing Lynx and the Lions hot on his tail. “Angela open your fucking door!”

The door opened and Mei’s head popped out. “Liao, you’re up-”

“No time!” Liao pushed past her into the office. The room was half shrouded in darkness indicating that it was somewhere near midnight. Zenyatta and Bastion sat near Chase who was curled up on the couch, while Sombra Sat on Angela’s desk next to the good doctor. Winston was yawning in the corner, dressed simply in his orange and grey fatigues. Katya stood next to the gorilla trying to understand what happened to her nephew.

Angela’s head snapped up in confusion. “Liao? What are you doing up?”

“Lynx said we have a missing person on the HK documents. I have a hunch that I know who it is.”

“Who?”

“The geneticist Reyes took in. Moira.”

Liao felt the room’s temperature drop several degrees. Sombra swore. “She’s the cause of Gabe’s condition.”

Mercy flinched visibly. “What? I thought I had done that.”

“No.” Liao shook his head confirming Sombra’s outburst. “He was undergoing the transformation around the time of the fall. He thought he could escape it once he’d seen what it was doing to him.”

“Then I went back and Rez’ed him. Mien gott.” Mercy leaned back into her seat. “We never did see eye to eye but... To go that far…”

“She’s the red headed bitch with heterochromia right? One red, one blue?” Chase muttered, flexing her right hand.  “Armor similar to Mercy’s Valkyrie suit?”

“She what!?”

Liao bowed his head. “Yes. That’s her. I’m worried about how many members of Blackwatch are now under Talon’s employ. But that means you’ve seen her.”

“Better, she was the one who was there when I took my serum injections. I thought she was an assistant so Dave wouldn’t get his hands dirty. For some reason, she took an interest in me.”

“Why?”

Chase shrugged. “No idea.”

“Aiyoh.” Liao sat down before his legs gave out. “Why is this so complicated?”

___________________________________

 

“I was disappointed to hear that you had experienced an issue Reaper.”

Reaper’s red eyes glared at Moira as she stalked into the room. “You don’t sound overly upset.”

Moira chuckled darkly, keeping her eyes on Reaper and Akande. “I’m not actually.If anything you helped me. We really should thank Lacroix and Sombra. They helped tremendously.”

Akande took a doubletake. Gabe struggled to keep a straight face. Those were in short supply. “Explain yourself Moira.”

“Gladly.” The ginger woman grinned. “Had David and Kyle not decided to micromanage the project, I may have given them more to work with, so I attempted to sabotage their experiment. They still would have achieved the same results, but my interference introduced new variables they’d be unable to explain. This seems to have worked out, and would have, had you not halted the project and killed off many of the escapees.”

“It was necessary.” Akande began pausing when the woman raised her hand.

“I would have preferred them to roam free. Eventually they would have provided some benefit to us. I am howver to understand that Chase escaped.”

“Why does everyone insist on calling her that?”

“Because she was the one I selected to execute our plan. You see, I had planned to gain her trust, release her and watch as she was overcome by the serum and draw Overwatch’s attention. We’d jump in to support her and convinvce her to fight alongside us. She would then attack Kyle and David believing them to be Overwatch spies. If you offered a cure she may comply more.”

“But Widowmaker and Sombra got to her first.”

“I was hoping that the delayed serum would have a longer delay, but I guess not.”

“You planned for this. We almost destroyed her.”

“Lucky for us.” Moira sneered. “More importantly, she’s more useful to us now that she can shift. Only two others were selected to be carriers.”

“Carriers?”

“You mean you wanted to breed these things.” Reaper felt sick.

“The Process makes the HKs sterile, although they don’t know it. I was able to ensure the fertility of HK’s 304-8C, 307-4E and 666-T6.”

“Chase Edwards, Colton White and Joseph Volskaya. Had “Hellspawn” not been killed, she might have actually bred with him.” Reaper turned his head away. “Good luck with that now.”

“Agreed.” Akande chuckled. “She seems loyal to Windowmaker and Sombra. In fact an agent who escaped the incident in Dorado said that the two may be in a relationship. If that’s the case, then maybe we can use that to our advantage.”

Reaper closed his eyes and sighed. Externally he looked annoyed, internally he was panicking. After they had joined forced. Sombra and he had spent a night sipping on Tequila and chatting about weird things, Eventually Sombra had let slip that she had had only two partners in the past before her disappearance. One man and a woman and neither she had felt a connection for. Something about not wanting to get hurt after the omnic crisis, something about not wanting to lose someone special again.

If the two were indeed in a relationship, then it meant that Sombra had finally found what she was looking for.

Someone to mend her broken soul.

Fitting that the two who had been broken the most had come together to support one another.

“What about our old friends Reyes?” Moira’s nanites wisped past his face, leaving a warming sensation on his skin.

“Ana and Jack Were nowhere to be seen in Russia, however Fareeha was there. As was Liao, Zaryanova, The omnic monk, and another Omnic in a flashy teal outfit.”

“Liao? I thought you killed him before Zurich.”

“So did I. The man’s craftier than anyone anticipated. That or Zeigler had a hand in saving his life as well.”

“He’s not going to be easy.”

“So Reaper says.” Akande stood. “I’ve instructed all remaining HKs to capture 304-8C. I believed that she was valuable to us and you have proved my decision right. I have other matters to attend to.”

With that Akande left.

“So how was Iceland? Remote enough for you?”

Moira chuckled. “The Antarctica is even more remote.”

“Were you really planning on breeding them? To use as living weapons?”

“Well it would give them a use after seeing how the offspring develop pre and postnatal. I honestly never expected such things to get this far. Maybe a small pack of no more than 8 would have sufficed. But enough about that nasty business. How have you been doing?”

“Stay away from me.” Gabe growled, wraithing away. He had wished that he hadn’t heard that information now. It was bad enough that the bitch had wanted to play with life like that but to treat humans like animals, to dehumanize them in such a way?

He wanted to be sick.

Hiding away where he knew no one would find him he opened his communicator and began to type furiously.

_[00:44] RR: We have a serious issue_

_[00:44] RR: let’s just say that Moira intended Chase to be a mother of HKs._

_[00:45] RR: Let’s also say that Moira was planning a similar stunt to yours and Widowmakers._

_[00:46] RR: And now you have a massive target on your back. Not sure if you two are an items but they suspect that.  And they plan to use you against her_

_[00:47] : You need to get out of there._

_[00:47] RR: Listen chica, you need to take me seriously._

_[01:07]  : Get out of there now. I hear LA is nice this time of year._

_[01:09]  : Meta, Errie, Edgeworth, Taproot, Meta, Enlighten, India, Kappa Rolland, Singapura, Under, Dalas._

_[01:11]  : Meta, Errie, Edgeworth, Taproot, MeKA, Enlighten, INdia, Kappa Rolland, Singapura, Under, Dalas._

Liao.

Reaper recognized the code. Checking around her began to count frowning at the message.

MEET MEKA I KR SUD

That made little sense. It was missing letters.

_[01:16] RR: Missing parts. Please correct._

_[01:21]  : Meta, Errie, Edgeworth, Taproot, Meta, Enlighten, India, Kappa Rolland, Singapura, Under, Dalas._

Wait…

MEET ME IN KR SUNDAY

KR? Where was that? Korea? Kings Row?

_[01:23] RR: Specify RK Merlion?_

_[01:23] : Herritage_

_[01:24] : Liek Boh Kiew?_

Definitely Kings Row then.

_[01:25] RR: What was that last bit?_

_[01:25] : you’re not getting what I’m saying are you?_

_[01:25] : you owe us._

_[01:26] RR: you know I can’t understand your fucked up slang._

_[01: 27] : I’m not explaining this to you again Reyes._

_[01: 27] : There’s a reason why I mumble when I use it. To hide where I’m from and so you can quit your bitching.  Doberman_

Reaper sighed. He had to pack.

_____________________________

 

“I had to Google what Reyes said. Are you Singaporean?”

“Shhh.” Liao hissed to Chase. “I’d rather everyone not know.”

“Too late we already know Liao.” Angela huffed as she prepped. “Even if you haven’t used Singlish in a while we didn’t forget.”

“Ah!” Liao complained.

“Wait, what?”

“Long story short, it was useful to confuse omnics in the Omnic crisis.” Liao grinned. “The black ops I trained with advised that I cut down on it so it was harder to build a profile on me.”

“I’m ready when you are Chase. As disgusted and unwilling as I am, I agree. It’s necessary to stopping Talon.”

“How long is the recovery?”

“With modern medicine and my nanobiology technology.. I could cut to down to a week, maybe a week and a half. However…” Angela fixed both Sombra and Chase with a glare. “You need to practice abstinence for at least 6 weeks.”

Chase groaned. “This is going to be a pain.”

Sombra kissed her forehead. “I know it’s not as bad as it could be, but it will be worth it Mi cazadora. By the time you’re ready to fight again we’ll have things set up just for you.”

“Stay with me till I pass out?”

“Why not.”

Mercy sighed and began to set Chase up with the IV. “By the way Liao…”

“Oh right, any word?”

“Realize that I’m only telling you this in front of them, because everyone already knows. From what tests I’ve run so far, it’s real. It’s not a false positive.”

“So I’m going to be a father?”

“’Gratz.” Chase chuckled.

Liao looked to Mei who stood fidgeting as she nodded. Getting up, he crossed the floor and embraced her, muttering what could only be assumed to be a mix of Chinese and English (or Singlish, no one could tell when he mumbled so lowly).

Fading out of consciousness, Chase held onto Sombra’s hand. She needed this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAPOLA! Moira could not have come at a better time. I had rewritten this chapter several times before i let it sit, unable to decided what to do with it. i never really had any idea behind who did the DNA splicing, but then Blizzard swoops in with this and answers my dilemma. Also we now know that Gabe's shadowy condition happened before the fall of Overwatch. Hell yes. But really though, just how much of Blackwatch is now employed by Talon? 
> 
> Special thanks to Nightengale and Tino for their ideas. I keep running things past them and I ether get encouraged to include stuff, or I'm able to take something that wasn't intended and turn it into an idea after it's pointed out. 
> 
> Also yes, most times where Liao mumbles or says stuff under his breath, he's using Singlish. I never quite understood it or how to use it when i was on holiday so i didn't bother to use it. I don't know how to properly use it so don't expect it to show up often.
> 
> Who played the following cards in the CAH game:
> 
> Liao: 2 girls one cup  
> Lena: Cunnilingis, a 40 gallon drum of lube  
> Pharah: Dead Parents, a micropenis  
> Zarya: Barack Obama  
> Ana: Some God Damn Peace and quiet, The Chinese Gymnastics’ team  
> Mei: big black dick, *Just the tip  
> Angela: Pacman uncontrollably guzzling cum, A coffee enema  
> Reinhardt: A bleached asshole, A big fluffy Siberian bear 
> 
> NYET- No  
> Xièxiè húndàn- thanks asshole
> 
> *The combination of "How did I lose my Virginity" and "just the tip" have become not only an inside joke but a trump card for me in Cards againt Humanity. tl;dr that's the combination my brother used to win a round of Cards against Humanity back in the Christmas of 2014. I chouldn't help but add it


	9. If you can’t forgive, at least forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Easier to ask permission, than forgiveness", but sometimes it's just easier to let go of your grievances than trying to find a way to forgive them.
> 
> It's also healthier to turn your destructive energy into something to help further more important and worthwhile goals.
> 
> Hey look, a WIP of Chase in both Human and Hybrid form: https://tidalwavesstudio.deviantart.com/art/Chase-Hunter-Edwards-WIP-709149314

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sure hope the chapter 1 notes don't appear at the end of this chapter as well. 
> 
> "Easier to ask permission, than forgiveness"  
> Quote Brom from Christopher Paolini's "Eragon"
> 
> "If you can’t forgive, at least forget"  
> Quote Sapphira from Christopher Paolini's "Eragon"
> 
> "No one expects the Spanish inquisition"  
> Monty Python

Reaper forgot why he hated this shithole town

Sorry, Oxton’s shithole home town.

The rain had nearly rendered his wraith like abilities useless. Moira never had been able to determine why water or its effects had such an effect on the wraith abilities. Then again, it wasn’t like he was about to let her experiment of test her theories on him. Fuck that.

Looking up at the sky he swore. He was supposed to be meeting Liao somewhere in Kings Row, but the bastard hadn’t told him where to meet. Making matters worse, he had to stick to the side streets and alleyways. Occasionally he used the rooftops. Who knew that leather wasn’t an optimal clothing choice for rain?

Squatting on the edge of a building he watched the streets below. How the brits deal with such weather he had no idea. The omnics didn’t complain, but then again in Gabe’s eyes, they didn’t have the right to complain. To him it didn’t matter what model an omnic was. An omnic was an omnic. He ground his teeth, images of the ruined Los Angeles flooding back to him. Damn omnics.

Getting to his feet, he was about to leave when he spotted a familiar face. It almost didn’t catch his attention at first, but something about him stood out. Watching the man, he instantly recognized the long black hair and his stride.

There he was.

Liao seemed to be carrying back a rather full tray of coffee from somewhere. Staying on the edge of the building, he paced him, grumbling when he followed Liao back up the street. He kept his comments to himself until Liao finally dodged into an alley way. Leaping down, Reaper grunted, realizing that the man had not so much as blinked an eye. “Do you know how hard it is to find you?”

“Do you know how hard it is to catch your attention, or is the mask obscuring your vision?” Liao smirked as the wraith growled. “To be fair I walked past you 6 times.”

“You always hid in plain sight you god damned-“

“One slur and I’ll repeat our encounter where you blinded me only this time, you won’t make it out alive.” Liao’s face turned serious, fixing both cybernetic eyes on his former Commander. Reyes fell silent letting the insult die in his mouth. Liao opened the door and moved to the side as several guns clicked and trained on Reaper.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Maybe because we all have a bone to pick with you.” Jack’s gaze narrowed. “Like Liao, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on you.”

“It’s for assurance purposes really.” Ana spook smoothly and calmly, a clear sign of how close she was to reminding the Latino of how dangerous she could be. Reaper watched as Liao closed and locked the door, passing by the two snarling lions flanking either side of the table where the agents sat.

“Coffees are labeled. Mei, your tea’s in the center.” Liao put the tray on the table and sat down. “Sit Reyes, we have a lot to discuss.”

“Take your mask off.” Jack ordered. “It’s only fair.”

“Are you sure you want to see that Jack?”

“Gabe….”

Reaper smirked and slipped the mask off, placing it on the table and throwing his hood back. He saw the looks of disgust from the other agents. Mei had gone white, Liao looked shocked. Reinhardt’s one good eye widened as his frown deepened. Even Jesse’s jaw dropped.

“I look like shit, I know.”

“You always were a surly thing. At least now you look the part.”

“Liao!” Mei kicked the man under the table, much to the Singaporean’s amusement.

Gabe growled, giving Ana and Reinhardt a nice view of his missing chunk on his left cheek. “Get on with it... We’re not here to exchange pleasantries.”

“Winston wouldn’t have. If it wasn’t for these guys, I’d punch you in the stomach for Winston. He’s rather upset at how you tampered with Athena to extract the Overwatch Database.”

“I don’t know about that Jackie boy.” Liao took his coffee and leaned back. “Personally I’d help hold him back.”

“Children behave.” Ana scolded standing up. “Gabriel, the reason why we called you here is so we can clear the air. We have no idea why you and Sombra are still in contact, nor do we trust her or Amalie as of yet. We certainly don’t trust you.”

“You have no reason to either. I did attack Jack and Liao… even if he struck first.”

“I’m not even denying it.” Liao growled, flipping Reyes off much to everyone’s surprise.

“Regardless, there’s been developments lately. Ones that I never considered would pop up.”

“Liiiike?”

“Sombra probably already told you, But Akande’s trying to incite another Omnic crisis. They’ve been considering using the God Programs again, but this time, they’ll be dialing it up to 11. They’re doing field testing now with omnics globally. This time, it won’t just be Military type omnics that will revolt. It will affect the humanoid ones as well.”

“Well she was right. Did she find this out herself?”

“Partially. She does a lot of stuff I barely knew about. She kept mentioning this conspiracy that had an Eye. We’re not entirely sure who or what the Eye is, but Talon has been in contact with several groups, including the Vishkar and a group called “The Watch” who also uses an Eye as their calling card.”

Mei sighed deeply. “That explains the resurgence of Vishkar activity in Brazil, along with the recent Talon activity in the same area.”

Reaper’s claws drummed on the table. “There’s more. As you all know, The HK program wasn’t intended to have breeding stock, But Moria likes to have her claws in everything. She did this to me back when I was in Blackwatch. It was either myself of my team. It seems as if she’s trying to perfect it.”

“And the Talon SEP program?”

“Trying to recreate what we went through, only this version is having a lower morality rate. However the serum isn’t perfect yet, and it’s speculated to need several more doses than we went through. They’re getting close to perfecting it though and it’s only a matter of time before they do.”

“We’ve been testing Chase since she arrived in Gibraltar. She’s nowhere near us Gabe, but it enough to give her an edge. The HK splice compliments it however, allowing her to move almost as fast as if not faster than us.” Jack interlocked his fingers. “She’s certainly got her father in her.”

“Speaking of people having their father in her, I hear Jackie’s been causing quite a stir in the UN. Talon’s not going to make a move on her yet, but-”

“But?”

“If they do, they have all too easy access to her.”

“….. So Sombra and Chase were right. Talon infiltrated the UN.”

“And laid the groundwork for us to be disbanded, so they could operate uncontested!” Reinhardt pounded the table.

“A good portion of the UN is actually comprised of either Talon agents or are countries that work with or sympathize with Talon. That’s why they’re trying to get countries that refuse to sign the Petras act to sign it.”

“I’m unsure about the rest of Southeast Asia, but Singapore will never sign it. I hate to say it, but after they started blocking attempts to allow global access to my mechs and medical implants, as well as requesting unrestricted access to me and my company for years, Singapore has refused. In addition, Tang-man has been keeping close tabs on them with Leo. Talon’s been trying to infiltrate out government since the fall.”

“Hang on.” Reaper raised a finger. “Since the fall?”

“Technically just before the fall, but Leo was able to fend them off and keep the Prime Minister safe with a group of omnics. That’s why they more trusted than in Kings Row and why they have their own small military force.”

“They why didn’t they help out in your Bras Basah stunt?”

“Because if they got involved, it could cause serious repercussions.” Liao shrugged. “Besides, I was in the area and I had to act. There might not have been enough time to wait for backup. Good luck getting Talon into Singapore or Malaysia now.”

Reaper smirked. “Don’t worry, Akande’s already written them both off as a lost cause. The Philippines isn’t putting up with Talon’s shit either.”

There was a collective snort. “That had NOTHING to do with Overwatch. That’s the official story and as far as I understand it, we’re all sticking to it.”

“Actually that was on Omnic Force.” Jesse snickered. “Which may or may not been led by a Blackwatch agent. Again we have no confirmation that any Overwatch agent was involved.”

“So does that mean that Singapore is hiding your current status and allowing you to operate as long as they don’t know about it and you don’t get caught?”

“I have no idea what my government’s doing on such matters.”

“I knew it.”

There was a moment of near silence –Reyes was watching Mei and Liao converse in low Chinese- before Mei spoke up. “You told Sombra something about Chase and being the mother of HKs?”

Reaper grimaced. “Yeah. Apparently the Russian who passed away and one of Chase’s mortal enemies were the only viable males. Chase is the only viable female. I have no idea what all the details are on the HK program and the more I delve into it, the less I wish I knew.”

“She WAS viable.” Mei corrected. “As soon as she found out, she went to Mercy to fix the issue.”

“Was “Fix” really a good word to use there darlin?”

“Oh god, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“That’s what we call a Freudian slip.” Reaper laughed. “But in all seriousness as much as it shouldn’t have had to be done, I’m glad she’s doing it. I can’t wait to see the look on Moira’s face if she ever finds out that Chase can’t have children. That’s poetic justice.”

“If she finds out? You’re not telling her?”

“Fuck no!” Reyes’s face split into a grin. “I’m not telling Talon shit! They haven’t dicked me as hard as Overwatch has yet, but it’s coming to a head. I’m not stupid. When there’s a meeting and I’m not invited, if I’m being told that I’m falling out of favor, if I’m being assigned grunt work, then the price of my loyalty starts going up. Sanjay Korpal knows that better than anyone else.”

“What happened?”

“Oh now this should be a story.”

“The short of it is that he started dicking me around on a joint mission, so I lead some of his agents into hostile territory and let fate decide things….. Well maybe I helped a little with a Death Blossom. That’s what happens when Sanjay sends me with dipshit agents for a dumbass mission.”

“He couldn’t have taken it laying down.”

“Oh he did, eventually. Not hard to keep your mouth shut with a broken jaw and full of shotgun munitions. He lived.” Reaper waved a hand. “It was a giant mess though. Not exactly what I’d call a monkey full of barrels.”

There was a pause as everyone processed what was said.

“I’m sorry what?” Jack finally barked as a few deep chuckles and giggles filled the room.

“That’s not even a Freudian slip. That’s what we call a linguistic fuck up.” Liao howled.

“I’m getting too old for this shit.”

Liao couldn’t stop laughing.

______________________________________

“You make flying the Orca look so easy Auntie.”

“Years of practice luv.” Lena smiled taking the airship in to the hanger. “You didn’t do so bad yourself. I’d say you’re catching on.”

“But you were the one who was mainly flying. I was only helping.” Ethan pouted.

“Credit where credit’s due.” Lena started flicking off the controls. “Other than your lift off being a bit rough and your landing being a bit late, you’re not doing bad for your first two runs.”

Ethan shrugged, letting himself out of the harness. “Orisa, Efi,are you two awake?”

“Systems online and operational.” Orisa waved as the young brit hoped down the stairs of the Orca. “Efi is awake also.”

“My gear’s a bit heavy. I’m lucky my parents agreed to let me come to Gibraltar for this opportunity.” Efi grinned letting herself out of her harness so she could get her bags. “You said there were a few other children here?”

Ethan nodded. “Two other girls. None of us are geniuses like you but they’re still super nice.”

“Alright loves, just let me put the ramp down and I’ll be with ya in a tick.”

“Need help?” Ethan offered, reaching for the bags only for Orisa to pick them up.

“No need Ethan. I will get them. They are quite heavy after all.” Orica’s eyes narrowed in joy. “I do thank you for your polite manners.”

Ethan shrugged. “Mama always told me to be nice to others and to help out. She also said that I should never say something unless I absolutely mean it.”

“Still doesn’t excuse your language.” Lena stood, letting herself out of her harness as the ramp lowered.”

Ethan shrugged, heading for the door with a bounce in his step. “Oi! Sachi! Asa! Bastion! We’re back you lot!”

“No greeting for me?” Emily staggered back hand flying to her chest as the feigned being shot.

“We’ll you’re Auntie’s bird ain’t ya?” Ethen grinned cheekily. “Thought I’d let her say hi first.”

“You cheeky devil you.” Lena zipped down onto the ramp with a giggle. “C’mon then. Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

Bastion’s head tilted as he chirred. He wasn’t used to meeting so many humans, especially little ones. He was even less experienced with meeting Omnics, let alone ones that used Military templates. Searching his Records, Orisa seemed to match the archetype for the OR-14s used in the Crisis –and later the Omnic Uprising- but he knew that she was a heavily modified OR- 15 model. He suddenly felt vastly inferior.

Gany chirped encouragingly from his shoulder. Looking to Orisa and Efi he waved and tweeted to them in greeting. Orisa nodded back, her hands full of the bags. Stepping around the small congregation of humans.

“Greetings, I’m known as Orisa, defender of Numbani. I’m to understand that you’re known simply as Bastion, is that correct?”

**_[“Affirmative. The humans have been referring to me as either Bastion or the Bastion Unit. I’ve been briefed on who you are and your designation. My apologies for my primitive communication. I lack a voice modulator, as it’s unnecessary. However two of the humans here have been working with another omnic to create a series of hand signs for easier communication.”]_ **

“Perhaps that’s something Efi can develop once she studies your mainframe and platform.” Orisa’s eyes narrowed again in thought before turning happy once more. “However it’s nice to have another large omnic that I can speak to in such capacity.”

_**[“Likewise. So far I’ve only had Lynx, Zenyatta and Athena to converse with. However I’ve been slowly reaching out to the three Chinese drones on base, and I’ve been told that I may meet more omnics soon.”]** _

Gany chirped impatiently flitting to Orisa and perching on the end of her horn. Inspecting the larger omnic carefully Gany sang a short song hoping around until Orisa put her finger out for the bird to perch on. “I assume this is your bird friend?”

_**[“Yes, she’s very special to me. She was the one who reactivated me and prevented me from carrying out my original objective. Had it not been for her, I may not be here today. I may never have reactivated, or worse, I may have cause further unnecessary human deaths. I have no desire to continue what lies in my programing. Instead I wish to find my own Objective. I believe Zenyatta calls the act ‘finding one’s true purpose in life.”]** _

“I can understand your sentiment Bastion and I’m amazed to find a Military omnic who feels so strongly and has developed so much in such a short time.” Orisa ignored the approaching humans. “I also find it very commendable that you’ve developed your own personality and emotions on your own. Your self-modification of your core programing is also a feat not easily achieved by omnic of our templates. Well done.”

_**[“I’ve developing now that I’m learning from the humans and other omnics. I’ve been likened to a curious child by several. It annoyed the Ikea gnome to no end.”]** _

Orisa laughed. He had a sense of humor, something she was already working on. “What’s so funny Orisa?”

“Bastion. I didn’t think of him to be think so deeply on matters, nor did I expect him to have a sense of humor.” Orisa watched Gany fly circles around the girls head before perching on her shoulder to inspect the new girl.

“Right shall we get you settled in before you get to work?”

 

“For an old Bastion Unit you sure are in good condition! This is amazing!”

“Papa and I didn’t believe it either.” Bridgett said from her workbench. “His armor’s a bit faded but still strong. Looks like he never saw combat for some reason.”

“His gun’s lightly used too. Maybe used a handful of times.” Efi waved at the minigun. “Looks like somethings begun to jam his gun. He’s not rotating his core as smoothly or as properly either. And you can’t repair yourself?”

 ** _[“Negative. I haven’t been able to do any of that since I awoke in the Black Forest. I awoke remembering nothing prior to my hibernation. And there was a delay between my reactivation and self-diagnostics before my systems brought up my original objective. And even then I took time to pause and experience nature with Gany.”]_** Bastion conversed, Orisa translating his beeps and boops. Lynx watched from her chair next to Sombra, both taking a break from programing.

“You said that you haven’t configured to turret mode since Germany when you awoke in…?”

_**[“Unknown date in 2064. Approximate timeline placed reactivate in the late spring to summer months.”]** _

“Do you remember your Original activation date?”

_**[“April 15th 2046. Unexpected shut down happened on July 3rd 2052. Placing my overall service at 31 years, 20 years if hibernation is considered in actual Operational time .”]** _

Bridgett whistled. “Wow, thats an old Bastion.”

“But still really well maintained.” Efi inspected his rifle more closely.

“Can we not forget that this thing said it hasn’t fired since Germany?” Sombra waved her hands. “Why did you fire when you awoke? Were you threatened or did you attack unprovoked, eventually reverting to this state?”

_**[“What is this the Spanish inquisition?”]** _

“You weren’t expecting this were you?” Lynx muttered sarcastically watching the military omnic shake his head.

**_[“No one ever expects the Spanish inquisition!”]_ **

“Oh dear lord.” Bridgett face palmed as the children cackled along with Orisa. “Of all the things this thing learns, it’s a sense of humor and memes.”

Zarya groaned. “How am I supposed to take any threat seriously if that thing keeps making jokes?”

 _ **[“To be fair the purple one walked into that set up.”]**_ Bastion pointed to Sombra. **_[“But let’s not start Russian to conclusions here. I’m not a threat.”]_**

The children couldn’t breathe, and even Efi dropped her screw driver as she clung to the Bastion’s chest to stay upright. Zarya threw her hands up as she watched the Bastion guffaw at his own joke, hit laughing motions knocking a few screws loose. _**[“Can we stop screwing around? I thought we had a job to do.”]**_

“Ok I’m done.” Sombra waved her hands and left the room mumbling lowly in Spanish as the Russia followed, the remaining members howling in laughter, their banter echoing down the hall as the women left.

“I like this Omnic Efi! I think he’s my new best omnic friend.”

"How did you know you like him?”

"He made me laugh."

“I have a feeling that this is some sort of sick poetic justice.” Sombra grumbled, heading for the kitchen. “Like a flipping war machine that’s nothing but love and old jokes.”

“I would not have believed it either. If I had a say, the omnic wouldn’t be fixed. It’s better to have a fangless wolf than to turn it back into a deadly hunter.”

“Odd saying.” Sombra glanced at the weightlifter.

“Apologies, it doesn’t translate well to English.” Zarya shrugged watching Sombra carefully as they entered. Genji sat peacefully on the couch with Ame. It looked normal until Ame immediately got up and bowed to his uncle, leaving the room. The women looked at eachother and were about to leave themselves when Genji’s voice carried through the room. “Please take a seat ladies, I’ve been wishing to speak to you.”

It wasn’t a request. Sitting in front of the older ninja they got comfortable before Genji began to methodically remove his helmet completely. Despite his face being scarred, Genji still looked handsome. Setting the pieces of his helm next to him, he ran a hand through his black hair. He looked both women over before he began.

“I understand you have qualms about being around the omnics, especially military omnics. Our experiences are different but I wished to speak on this matter.”

“Spare us the sermon.” Zarya spat crossing her arms. “You and your Omnic monk can’t say anything to help us change our minds”

“On the contrary.” Genji smirked. “I’m not here to change your minds. Turning your distrust and resentment towards omnics into compassion and trust is not why I wanted to speak with you. I’m simply using similar methods to my master, however the message and intent are vastly different.”

“Alright Sparrow, enlighten us.” Sombra crossed her legs.

Genji chuckled. “Have you ever heard of the expression "Easier to ask permission, than forgiveness", but sometimes it's just easier to let go of your grievances than trying to find a way to forgive them.?" It is impossible to forget your hate, your pain and even your sorrow, I understand. I felt the same way after Hanzo attacked me and nearly killed me. Hanzo still feels the same way about the incident. However, the first step in healing, is to make peace with what happened, to accept it and find a way to better resolve such events in the future.”

The women glared at him, so Genji continued. “Revenge, hatred and a desire to destroy the threat will do nothing but to help build up those feelings further, and it will show your enemies the best method to exploiting your weaknesses. Even if you do eliminate what caused such discord, you will be left empty without a purpose. It takes longer to recover from that that I would if you dropped your grievances and strove to make a better future.”

“Omnics destroyed my village-“

“And what would happen if you destroyed every omnic in Russia? What would you do then? Would that rebuild your village, would that ease your pain and hatred or would you wonder why you spent so much energy on one thing, causing you to lose focus? Would that energy be best spent on protecting Russia from what’s to come, rebuilding what yourself and others lost so that you don’t have to experience that again?”

Zarya fell silent as she pondered Genji turned to Sombra. “And what about you?”

“I already accepted the fact that I lost my family. I no longer have anyone left. I hack as a way to vent, as a way to prevent another Crisis, through any means necessary.”

“But your judgement will often be clouded, allowing you to slip up and become vulnerable. Take Lynx and Katya’s discovery of your name for example.” Genji watched as Sombra’s face fell. “I don’t know it no, but they did find it. But they have come to trust you, enough so that outside of Aleks, no one knows. You’ve reached out to help them, if even for your own agenda.”

“Then how do you keep focused? How did you move past your anger?”

Genji smiled kindly. “I reflected and searched for something with meaning, something that I had held dear and I found it. My family. My family is the reason why I fight. I forgave Hanzo for trying to kill me because he couldn’t commit to the final blow, doing so only because of the Clan. We both knew it wasn’t something our father would have ordered. I fight to protect my wife and daughter as I don’t want them to live through the horrors that I have. I will fight to protect my nephew who also goes against the clan, deciding to think for himself and the betterment of others.”

Genji stood and held out his hand. “But on my journey I found people that I’d die for. Friends, comrades, teachers and leaders. They soon became part of my family as well. These conflicts may have torn our lives, and our families apart but we can take comfort in others and rebuild our families. To me family isn’t limited to flesh and blood, but instead to the bonds we make. All it takes is an offered hand to help one find the way.”

Zarya watched Genjis’ hand, unsure of herself into Sombra stepped forward. “My familia was everything to me. The Los Muertos were as close as it got before I had to go underground. Reyes and Widow were the closest I got to having that again.”

“And you can rebuild your family and add to it. I understand you have a tradition in your culture where you Honor the dead and remember them. You encourage them to visit you and so surround you with their energy. You still have Widowmaker and you now have Chase. Turn your hate and distrust into something you can use to protect them from future threats. Use that to inspire you to finish your failsafe to limit casualties in the next crisis. I’d gladly consider you to be my sister if you would have it.”

Sombra smiled and accepted Genji’s hand while Zarya watched. The man was right wasn’t he? If she died, who would remember her? Who would keep her close to their hearts? She was the only one who still clung to the memories and sacrifices of her family and those who had lived in their village. She may have been Russia’s Greatest Defender, but in the end she was just a soldier. Eventually she’d fade into obscurity as someone else claimed the title. But so one would remember her personally.

He was right. She needed to move on. She needed to help prepare for the worst that was yet to come.

“I will join you. I also have no family left. It will take time to be comfortable with you both, but if we work together, we should be friends in no time.”

“We can take baby steps if we need time.” Genji took her hand as well. “This will take time so don’t feel as if you need to rush yourself. The first true test will be when we move to raid the Talon Genetics lab in England.”

“Wait, you mean where Chase came from?”

“The very one.” Genji nodded. “We need to stop what they did to her and Joseph. That’s why we’re repairing Bastion. We need his help. We’re going to need a lot of fire power.”

Zarya laughed. “If you need big guns, then you can rely on me.”

“We’re going to need a bit more help. As soon as Chase recovers we’re heading to Australia. There’s something big going on there and we can use some extra crowd control. “

“You don’t mean…”

“Junkertown. It’s mainly anti omnic, but we may be able to find to individuals there who have a specific set of skills that we could put to good use.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap Batman! Chapters in what… 4 days? I was inspired so I decided to write. About 5 or so hours and I got this puppy done. 
> 
> Also the original quote I had for this was made as a joke and it was as follows: 
> 
> "How did you know you were in love?" 
> 
> "He made me laugh."
> 
> Then Tino pointed out that it was a reference to who framed Rodger Rabbit (a movie which I have never seen). So I tweaked it slightly because there’s no way Bastion and Orisa could become friends that quickly…. Can they? 
> 
> You also can’t tell me that Bastion can’t communicate with other omnics/ they can’t understand him. There has to be like a subsystem that can understand or translate some sort of nonverbal code. So I decided to translate Bastion’s “speech” for the readers. Typically the humans can’t understand him unless an omnic translates which is going to create some funny situations later on.


	10. Bring the Ruckus, Bring the noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Overwatch decided to make a raid on the Talon Genetics lab in England, they hadn't been prepared for what they found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being almost 2 weeks late. Nov 10th was the 1 year anniversary of "mother" walking out on us. A lot of stuff happened then this Sunday past, my nan -who my mother's living with-called up and stirred up trouble, causing a huge spike in my anxiety. Along with a programing assignment and shit, it hasn't been a good 2 weeks. I also started getting stuck on this and chapter 11. gdi....

“So let’s go over this one more time to make sure we understand it. There’s a huuuuge Omnic war comin’ and you need to prepare to fight is, and so yous need us to go in and help take down a base?”

Chase quirked and eyebrow. “I thought I just said that Junkrat.”

The Junker shifted on his stool, looking to the several other members behind her as well as the Junkerqueen. “What’s the base got ‘ta do with it?”

“It belongs to the group trying to incite the war. They also made me what I am. Fuckin’ Moira…. Let’s just say it’s an unethical geneticist lab and we need to clear it out. That’s part of the reason why I’m looking for you two. You two have a set of skills that would prove most useful in the mission.”

“So you want us to join you to take them down?”

“You’re not very bright are you?”

“OI! You shut your damn mouth scrap heap!”

Chase looked over to Lynx. “I told you to stay in the Orca.”

“I can deal with this. Besides, it’s more transparent to be upfront that we have a few omnics who will be helping us.” Lynx crossed her arms. "That and I wanted to leave Tracer with the Crazy 66." 

“Now that’s what unnerves me.” The queen shifted in her seat, cloaked by the shadows. “The fact that you wish to stop an omnic crisis while working with Omnics.”

“With all due respect,” Lynx motioned hearing Liao snicker from behind (as clearly he was the only one who herd the subtext of “kiss my shiny metal ass”) “would you rather us be upfront with you now or us to tell you last minute of the omnics on our team? Furthermore, I thought your boys would enjoy a carnage causing Bastion on the team. But hey if you don’t want to work with us boys, you could always be underfoot of your Queen or living in the wasteland.”

“Hold now-!”

“Work with them.” Roadhog rumbled forcing Junkrat to sit back down. “It’s to our benefit.”

“Our benefit? The hell you on about mate?” Junkrat all but screamed.

“We get to prevent what happened in the past, or at least get a foothold and have a better chance.” Roadhog crossed his arms. The older Junker was in his early teens when the first Omnic crisis hit, and he clearly remembered the carnage. The JunkerQueen nodded in agreement. It was best to prepare now for the inevitable.

“It’s also to our benefit if Overwatch offers to aid us. Our acceptance and blessing for Overwatch may help to stir the waters in the capital. I don’t agree with them after what they caused, but I’d be willing to work with the suits if it means we get to protect our own.” The Queen lifted her head. “Consider this, Jamison. Should you and Roadhog aid Overwatch, I would consider ending your exile from Junkertown.”

Junkrat threw hw hands up and groaned. “Fine fine, just one thing. Sheila there said something about a lab and freaky stuff right? What did they do to you huh? Cut you up a bit, test new inventions, maybe new weapons?”

Chase looked to Sombra, both women grinning. “Can I?”

“Angela said you were well enough to shift.”

Chase chuckled and shifted, the attendees crying out and raising their weapons as Chase’s form changed to that of a massive beast, her eyes locked on Junkrat. Chase stood at an even 7 feet when she was shifted, managing to practically look Roadhog and Reinhardt in the eye. Junkrat stared at the odd smoking creature infront of him. “Crikey…. What barnyard animals did you cross to get that!?”

Chase roared in reply making the junker fall back off his stool. The hybrid huffed in amusement and turned back to Sombra crooning to her. Sombra reached out and scratched behind her ear. “Interesting thing isn’t she? Thank Talon. Though she was great before the experiments.”

 The look of "how would you know, you didn't know me then" she gave Sombra was amusing.

“Talon’s involved?” The Queen stood grabbing her mace as she approached. Sombra had to give her credit for her outfit. Torn clothes were a look sure, but they wouldn’t be her first choice. The Queen’s Mohawk and braid were a nice touch however. Sombra nodded. “I’m going to assume they’re active in these parts?”

The queen laughed. “They sent a representative but we chased him off after the Vishkar rep showed up at our gates. It was amusing target practice.”

“If it’s Talon we’re after then count us in!” Junkrat hoped back up to his foot and put an arm around Chase’s shoulder much to the shifter’s annoyance. “What a bunch of misfits and freaks we’ve got ‘ere! I love it!”

Chase wasn’t sure if biting Junkrat was worth the now foul taste in her mouth or not.

___________________________________________

“This is the layout?”

“Si. I pulled I up from their servers. I still have my backdoors. That and the fact that Widow and i have been in most of the base.” Sombra waved a hand. “This red section here is a major unknown. They’ve stopped gathering people to experiment on, but they could still have other Hybrids. We could release them to cause more panic but that could complicate things on our end. They may attack us instead”

Chase leaned back in her chair. “The labs are down here.” Chase pointed to another section of the building located between the holding cells and the testing area. “Most times they’d drug you and drag you in, unless you were compliant or already incapacitated. We may find more files there, or hell anything to help give us an edge on other Hybrids. They also made collars in there.”

“What’s it like in there?”

“Let’s just say you’d have a conniption fit Angela. Remember, this is Moira we’re talking about here. Ethics is a foreign concept that apparently she’s never heard about.” Chase confirmed watching the Swiss woman pull a face.

"You could do without the sarcasm."

"Who said i was being sarcastic?"

“If we could cut off success to their armory, we’d have a better chance.” Liao said gently spinning the hologram with his hand, 

“We want to limit casualties if at all possible.” Genji pointed out , his gaze trained on his new commander. 

“Just because we’ll cut off their access to the armory, doesn’t mean we’re looking to do a full sweep of the base. We’re looking to drive them out and render it inoperable.” Lynx waves a hand. “But hey, if it turns into a sweep or some Talon members are taken out, who are we to complain?”

Chase nodded. “Sombra, you said the Hybrid files have been purged from the server?”

“Si, I can’t get a read on their collars or cameras in those areas. They’re either shut down or on a separate secure server. I could try to get into it, but it will take a while. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” Lynx confirmed. “Both of us working in tandem couldn’t break through it.”

“Is it something new?”

Sombra shook her head. “There’s only two other firewalls I’ve been unable to get through in my life. Overwatch’s and the conspiracy. I couldn’t get into Overwatch’s because of Athena. As for the conspiracy….”

Everyone thought for a moment before Liao spoke up. “Does Talon have access to an AI program of any capacity?”

“Not that I was aware of. I mean I did do some exploring to check on their tech but…I didn’t find any signs of AIs. I mean it wouldn’t make sense especially after what we’ve seen what the God programs are capable.”

“…” Liao mumbled something before clarifying. “Does Talon have a cache of Data servers somewhere?”

“Possibly. That’s information I couldn’t get to.” Sombra growled. "Again Lynx and I can't crack it."

“I’m going to call in a few favors. I’ll put you in touch with Tang-man and Sea Lion, they’re the two best techs I know. Sea Lion actually works with AI systems and researches the God programs.”

“I’ll see if I can put you in touch with Beta and Augustine, an omnic and human respectively. If my old contacts still work those two should be able to help.” Chase’s eyes scanned over the model of the base. “If we can lock down the server room, we may be able to get direct access.”

“You’re thinking what I am aren’t you?” Chase met Liao’s gaze.

“If you’re referring to our greatest fear, then yes.”

"Dear Christ. If that's the case then we're fucked." Pharah sighed much to Chase and Liao's shock.

 "What?" 

“Sombra, how far along are you into that Omnic hotfix?”

Sombra pulled something up. “I have it working but it needs a proper test drive. I’d test it but I have no one willing to live test it, and it’s no fun if Lynx and I try to get past it.”

**_[“I’ll try it.”]_** Bastion volunteered. **_[“How long will it take before I’ll be operational again?”]_**

“Roughly an hour or two.” Sombra nodded at the unit. “I could do a direct upload into your systems. It will be faster that way.”

“You’re expecting the omnics to be hacked?” Katya asked.

“here’s the possibility. I mean there was rarely any omnics on the base outside of Maximillian on occasion.” Widowmaker pointed. “And he’d always be kept away from the servers.”

“I don’t like this.” Jack groaned. “We’re walking into a Talon base and talking about AIs. And Reaper?”

“Gabriel’s currently located in LA, laying low and claiming to be tracking a lead on you and Liao.” Sombra sighed pulling up live proof. “Communications confirm that Akande’s starting to sever ties with good old Gabe. Gabe may be one of the heads of Talon, but he’s been excluded from a lot of important meetings.”

“Well are you lot ready?” Lena popped her knuckles. “Once we commit, there’s no turning back.”

“We’re ready.” Ana smiled. “As much as I’d rather not fight alongside my daughter in this battle, it's knice to know we'll have eachother's backs.”

“You all are going to have to lie low after this.” Athena pointed out. “This will not go unnoticed.”

“And we doesn’t exactly want it to be.” Rien huffed. “As a matter of fact, the more we expose, the less the UN can ignore. Jackie started to make some headway at last. After all, the UN claims to want to do something about Talon but they keep making excuses for why they won’t act.”

“All talk, no action.”

Winston huffed. “Liao are you sure you can get me to England and back without anyone noticing?”

Liao grinned broadly. “Oh I can do more than just that my friend. If you want, I can make you practically vanish.”

“How the hell could he hide a gorilla?” Sombra hissed to Ana who shrugged.

“I’ve long since learned not to question him.” Ana whispered back.

“I’ll stay here.” Lynx offered. “After all someone needs to watch over the kids, Katya and the Shimadas.”

“Can you even fight?” Zarya quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t use weapons.”

With a flourish, Lynx withdrew two batons from within her sweater and twirled them around, their ends glowing a pale purple-blue. “You were saying?”

“Can they actually defend you though?”

“Go ahead and touch them Zarya.” Lynx offered, the smirk in her voice apparent. Chase could feel the hair on her nape stand up at the static. Zarya was smart enough to decline.

“If you ladies and other soldiers are done chit-chatting.” Bridget smirked, hauling in a dark colored piece of equipment. “I’ve fixed up everyone’s armor and weapons, as well as made some modifications to others.”

“Oh?”

“Here you go Hybrid. I tweaked that bracer of yours. Should be more awkward and clunky now. Not sure what Talon was thinking.” She smirked hefting the bracer onto the table. “Speak now of forever hold your piece.”

“It’s slimmer, and a bit smaller…” Chase noted picking it up and arming herself.

“Winston and I managed to figure out how your armor self-adjusts and locks into place when you shift, so we modified your armor and bracer. Now your bracer adjusts with you. I won’t bore you with the details.

Chase snapped the bracer into place. It felt much lighter and easier to maneuver. Stepping into part of the room with plenty of room, she extended the claws and punched at the air noticing the blades glow a soft aqua with a soothing hum. “Oh I can use less force with this. Nice job Bridgett. I like how I could use it for minimal blocking too.”

“Wait till you try it in your Hybrid form. Should be even easier. Did you figure out what to call it yet?”

“I'm keeping it as 'Hunter’s Mark'. I mean I might as well.” Chase grinned. “You’ll be staying here until the conclusion of the mission right?”

“Yes. As soon as you return and refuel we’re setting off with you.” Bridget pulled up a chair. “Papa’s not happy with this idea but we have no choice really. Besides, he’s too stubborn to answer the recall himself.”

“Where are you headed anyway?” Winston asked pulling down the 3d model. “Have you decided?”

“Heading back to Wolfhead Lodge.” Chase smirked. “We can buy time and wait for things to blow over there. In addition, we can set up another little outpost there. Canada never had one so it won’t be obvious. Also if Talon wants to get access again, they’ll have to compete with several groups, including the Strikers who are a joint human and Omnic group. Canada’s known for being a pushover, so we may be able to sell the idea of an Overwatch revival a little easier, and if all goes south, they wouldn’t mind a genetically modified Gorillia becoming a citizen.”

Winston laughed. “Alright then everyone, remember your teams and get geared up. We’re going after the Talon Genetics lab!”

_________________________________________

The teams were well coordinated more so than expected. On Team Alpha Jack, Rienhardt, Hanzo, and Winston. Team Beta held Pharah, Angela, Zarya, junkrat and Roadhog.

Team Omega help Tracer, Genji, Zenyatta and Ana.

Team Delta Consisted of Sombra, Widowmaker, Liao, Bastion and Chase. Eventually all teams would converge, but for now, Teams Alpha and Beta would be the distraction while Teams Omega and Delta would sneak in and start the main operation. No one knew why or how a Bastion could be quiet, but somehow it worked. McCree had been given Orca duty much to his displeasure. Too damn bad.

“Watch your spacing Sombra.” Liao warned, stalking down the hall with his rifle lifted. “Hunter, can you smell anything?”

“Negative. Nothing yet.”

_“{The server room is up on your left. We’re ready on our end.}”_ Lynx indicated. _“{Team Beta, How are things going on the armory front?}”_

_“{We’ve got a nice choke point set up, like shootin Fish in a barrel.}” Roadhog grunted._

_“{Team Alpha moving up. We’ll change watch once we get there.}”_

_“{Rodger that! We’ll render their gear useless!}”_ Junkrat howled.

_“{Team Omgea, we found the labs.}”_

“How did you beat us to it?”

_“{Don’t ask.}”_

"Fine I won't." Liao snarked, slipping into Chinese muttering in annoyance. That or he was making snide comments judging by Mei's laughter over the coms.

_“{Ugh, I’m going to be sick.}”_ Tracer gaged. _“{There’s a morgue and an incinerator in here.}”_

“Smells like death I know.” Chase replied watching Liao pick the lock on the server room door. “Yes death has a smell and trust me, what you can smell doesn’t come close to what it smells like to Hybrids.”

_“{Blimey…. Jesus Genji close-!}”_ Tracer wretched. _“{Talon bastards!}”_

Genji swore and gagged. _“{Not even I was that bad when Yume and Overwatch got to me. This is like a chopshop… or a twisted kind of graveyard.}”_

_“{Trust me, the SEP was worse.}”_ There was silence from Jack for a moment as someone sent Jack an image of the labs followed by an uneasy groan. _“{Ok scratch that, that is worse.}”_

“Can’t be that bad is it?” Liao asked as the door opened. Chase saw Liao’s eyes flick to one side of his visior as the image opened up his face contorting as his stomach churned.

"Why are you fuckers so curious as to what it looks like?" Sombra snorted and ducked her head in an attempt to hide her laughter. Sometimes, Chase's tone was on point

“Fucking Christ. Ok I didn’t know what was expecting.” Liao said, shaking himself and muttering something again, looking somber.

“Nothing as clean as that?”

“Looks are deceiving.” Liao agreed as the team slipped into the server room. “Tracer, please turn your coms off, there’s going to be a chain reaction otherwise.”

_“{Too late.}”_ Ana sounded disgusted.  As there was the sound of metal hitting the ground followed by a strangled noise. _“{I’ve never seen a cyborg take sick.}”_

_“{Fuck you too Ana.}”_ Came Genji’s heavily accented reply. Hanzo snorted.

_“{Wait he can get sick?}”_

_“{Wait, he has a stomach?}”_

_“{Just because most of my body has been replaced with cybernetics doesn’t mean I can’t still eat, taste or digest food. It’s optional, but I do it for enjoyment and normalcy.}”_ Genji groaned. _“{Besides I had to eat private.}”_

_“_ …. You Son of a bitch. You ate my gummy bears again didn’t you.” Genji refused to answer as the Blackwatch commander’s accent grew tick in frustration. “You absolute dick! Basket!”

_“{Love you too Liao.}”_

“You go and die lah.”

Chase felt lost as the man began to grumble and mutter, the odd Chinese words slipping out, apparently all to Mei’s amusement. _"{And there we go with the Singlish again. You should start using it again dear.}"_

“Alright Transfer started.” Sombra turned, trying to bring the group back to the task at hand and to soothe their team leader who was torn between frustration and embarassment. “I’ll stay here to monitor.”

“You’re not staying alone.” Chase growled.

“Then leave Bastion with me.” Sombra offered.

**{[“I don’t mind. If they want to stop her they’d have to cut the power.”]}**

“Alright. Widow, Hunter on me.” Liao waved as they headed up to the labs.

“Did you bring a mask like I told you?”

“Gas or Filter?”

“Either will help.”

“Fuck sake.” Liao reached for his bag. “I have a few respirators.”

“That would work. Team Omega, there should be a filtration system in there somewhere to the…. Right of the room. Your right when you enter the room. Till then cover your nose and mouth or use a surgical mask. Any cleaning supplies would work too.”

_“{Roger.}”_

“So they burn the bodies of failed subjects?”

“Less evidence after an autopsy.” Chase shrugged. “They had a lot of failures in the beginning, so this was the fastest way to keep things from piling up. Playing dead won’t help you escape either. If you somehow manage to fool the collars, they ensure that you’re dead before they haul you off.”

_“{How do they do that?}”_ Mei asked.

“Trust me, you DON’T want to know.” Chase shuddered. “We’ve actually seen it done and I hate talking about it. ”

_“{Alright Teams Alpha and Beta moving up. They won’t be using this Armory anytime soon.}”_ Rien chuckled. _“{Junkrat saw to that!}”_

_“{Glad to be of service mate!}”_

“Check your corners Chase. You don’t want your ass out.”

“Yes sir.”

“These hallways are empty. Even if teams Alpha and Beta were causing a distraction, there’d be soldiers in the halls.” Widow turned to her teammates. “Something’s wrong.”

“This is a trap. Damn it.”

Chase sniffed the air and froze gaze locked on the wall in front of her. Her teammates didn’t notice her pause until they had gotten a few feet away. “Chase, get up here!” Widow hissed as Chase’s nose twitched.

“Hunter, move up.”

Chase’s lips curled back in a warning snarl. She chirped and shifted her weight slightly. She sank low before slowly edging up towards them at an angle, eyes following something they couldn’t see. Liao’s lions watched her. “What the hell are you doing?”

Chase snarled back, slipping past then, pausing to take deep breaths. Liao slowly followed behind. “Sombra, I’m opening my camera feed, I need you to tell me what the hell Hunter’s doing.”

_“{Is she hyper-focused on something? She may have locked onto something. Hey, mi cazadora, c’mon speak to me. What’s going on?}”_

“Hybrids. They’ve been replacing some of the soldiers with hybrids. That’s why we’re not seeing anyone, but I can smell them.” Chase’s voice came out as a guttural growl. “All teams be prepared.”

**_{[“I’m detecting a communication attempt, specifically a three way handshake following neural network exchange protocols. Blocking and denying requests.”]}_** Bastion’s modulator droned out over the coms, to which the humans were thankful. **_{[“Originator seems adamant that I accept their request. Originator unknown and unidentifiable at this time, but they are capable of communicating in Omnicode.”]}_**

_“{Ohhhhh that’s not good}”_

“Possible AI or another omnic?”

**_{[“Negative, omnics have no capacity for complete neural network exchange unless aided by the Iris or by a God Program. Even then, there’s little to no benefit as of yet.”]}_ **

Everyone froze. It was seeming more and more likely that Talon had an AI, but normal AI’s didn’t have access to the Omnic Neural Networks, but God Programs did. Overwatch never did have a complete list of God Programs, and they ones they did have on the list had been either shut down of were kept under tight security.

Was it possible that Talon either gained control of, or acquired a God Program somehow?

_“{Athena, if I leave this upload running, can you ensure that it finishes to some degree?}”_

_“{Yes Agent Sombra. I will notify you of any interference or updates.}”_

_“{Returning to Delta team.}”_

Chase shouldered her gun and rolled her shoulders, preparing to shift if needed as they made it to the lab. They swung around rapidly as Bastion barreled down the hall with Sombra in an effort to catch up, pausing to wait while Chase continued.  

As Chase turned the corner she immediately sank into a low defensive position with a feral growl. Hidden just out of view was another female hybrid, looking much worse for the wear. The female hybrid lowered her gun. “Chase?”

“Lisa? Fuck what’s going on here?”

“Could ask you the same. I thought you left or were killed.” The hybrid was dirty blonde with hazel eyes and dark freckles along her face. Her clothes were torn and filthy, her collar hanging off her neck.

“No, Sombra and Widow broke me out. Shit they got you guys on patrol now?”  Chase’s posture relaxed a bit as her team mates approached.

“Yeah. Safer, that and they kind of need a way to make us useful.” Lisa sniffed. “So you guys are what the commotion was all about. I was wondering why they had let so many of us out.”

“How many are left?” Chase asked continuing on her path.

“I’d say at least 40.. A good 10 of them are pack leaders and have been assigned to tracking you down.”

“You’re not one of them.”

“No.. I was like you, instead they had assigned me to Colton’s group after I snapped. They killed off our entire squad right after you left. You, Joseph and I are the only survivors.”

“Joseph’s dead. They turned him on me but I turned him back… I dominated and I hate myself for it.”

"Damn. You finally dominated? that's a shock."

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Liao asked, trying to stop the group.

“This is Lisa Turner, one of my squad mates. She was the second in command for the females under me.” Chase waved him off. “Look we’re here to put Talon on the run and make sure we expose this base for what it really is. What’s security like?”

“Hell.” Lisa admitted. “You must have noticed it, but the doorframes have sensors built in to make sure we stay in designated areas during our patrols Otherwise we get a shock. Only at the end of our shift, we return to our cells and the collars are allowed to pass through certain doorways. But some of us have been finding workarounds.”

“Really? Hey Sombra can you fiddle with her indicator like you did to mine?”

“Sure, though I don’t see why we should trust her.”

“You might want to because Moira’s here and apparently they’ve been trying to shift a new system over to this base and other multiple locations.”

“Is it AI?”

“Some form of it yes.” Lisa gave a sigh of relief as the tingling from the device stopped. “Oh my god I forgot how that feels.”

“You said Moira’s here?”

“Somewhere…. They were in a meeting when you guys crashed the party. The moved a lot of the HK files already if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“Shit.” Chase swore. “Well there goes that.”

“But they almost completed the SEP reboot project. They have a serum that they need to test on a subject. This one is purely SEP, no HK enhancements.” Lisa added ad they approached the door, hearing voices inside.  “Better, I can show you exactly where it is in the lab.”

As the pushed the doors open, Teams Beta and Omega raised their weapons. At least the lab smelled much better now. “Perhaps next time we should call ahead?”

“Team Alpha’s guarding a safe route.” Mercy waved her hand, her tone less than impressed. “You were right Hunter.”

“Lisa, how fast do you think you could get the other hybrids to gather?”

“Hybrids? You’re calling us that now?”

“Nicer than  the term HKs.”

Lisa looked over the group. “I’d say about 10 or so minutes… Maybe faster if I tell them that Overwatch is sneaking around. Sadly a lot of… Hybrids have been turned loyal to the Alphas, it may take some convincing.”

“Can we disable their collars remotely?” Chase asked.

“I can but that will alert the base.”

“Do it. Lisa, where’s the serum?”

Lisa nodded to follow and lead her into a closet where she pulled out a briefcase.  “There’s several vials in here. Apparently it’s supposed to be rolled out in several doses… at least two before the full effect is felt.”

“Thanks, think we have time to get the other hybrids?”

“I don’t think that’s a safe option no.” A faintly Irish accent voice suddenly rang out as purple and black smoke poured out of the vent, materializing into a tall yet pale red headed woman. One eye was a blood red while the other was an ice blue... part of her left face was covered with a metal plate while her right hand looked withered and odd. A large machine was strapped to her back, pulsing an eerie purple. Behind her Ghosted four hybrids, all decked out in armor. All snarled at the two female hybrids while Chase snarled back, starting to smoke. “Moira.” Chase spat, eyes locking with the geneticist.

“The state of you Chase darling.” The red head’s eyes twinkled. “That’s nothing that we can’t fix however.  Must say, you’re arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“Save it.” Mercy snapped, pointing her pistol at the former comrade. “You had no right.”

“And you have no right resurrecting someone, but that didn’t stop you did it?”

**[“Murderer.”]** Bastion rumbled, his rifle clicking as he aimed it at the Hybrids.  **[“I take no pleasure in this and I would rather no human casualties, but this time, I will make an exception.”]** Although the hybrids couldn’t understand the Bastion, their faces fell as the omnic aimed at them. Even Moira looked shocked. Overwatch smirked, understanding the Omnic as he 'spoke' through the coms. 

“Where did you find that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know hijo de puta?” Sombra growled aiming her oozie. “Now are we going to have to fight? I’m guessing there’s no way for us to take care of this quietly, is there?”

“Sadly there’s not a way to resolve this without conflict, but I can incapacitate you. You’d all make lovely subjects. Widowmaker would be reprogramed, and I’m sure we could find a use for the Bastion and you Sombra…” Moira turned to Liao. “And you Liao. With your genius-”

“Not interested.” Liao pointed his gun at her head. “Shove your offer.”

“Chase darling?” Moira smiled sweetly, only to frown when Chase roared in defiance. Chase began to billow with smoke, eyes turned black and green.

“Jeffery.”

The Hybrid launched himself at her, the two beasts colliding with a solid smack. Jeff had strength, but Chase had speed and her bracer. Just when Jeff had her cornered, Chase wraithed behind him, grabbing him in a chokehold. Jeff threw himself backwards to the floor only for chase to wraith again following him down to the floor. Before he could react, Chase had thrown herself on top of him, shredding his throat as the hybrid howled. The hybrids recoiled as Chase turned, leaving the choking hybrid to die on the floor.

“Get them.”

Chase let out a loud dominating cry hearing Lisa join her willingly as they began to charge, but the opposing hybrids were too fast, leaping around them. through the bullet storm, one  hybrid grabbed Sombra and threw her to the ground, his fangs gently clamping on her throat. Chase skidded to a halt tensing as the male grinned. For Chase it was over far too fast.

“Move and Howard will kill her.” Moira crossed her arms. “Now are you all going to come quietly, or do I have to make an example of the traitor?”

Chase whined, watching the other who hybrids –one shifted, one human- trying to corner the agents. However, one was absent, and it wasn’t Liao or Genji for a change. “I’ll let her live Chase, on the condition that you come back.”Chase snarled, hearing Sombra squeak as the fangs gently began to sink into her throat. She didn’t want to rejoin them but at the same time there was Sombra to consider. The woman had saved her life, she had to repay the debt somehow right? Looking back at her teammates, Chase’s ears sank low and she gave in, staring at the floor.

“Good girl…” Moira smirked, striding over to Jeff and healing him, the canister on her back changing to a soothing yellow. “What a mess you’ve made. I’m sure we’d be filling to forgive you if you help us test a few things, and if you behave, we may make you an alpha again. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to grow a pack of your very own.”

Chase’s teeth clenched as she watched the woman return to her position as Jeffery staggered. “You won’t get away with this you bitch.” Lisa growled clutching the briefcase behind her,

“I think I will. After all, it takes a bitch to know a bitch doesn’t it?” Moira chuckled deeply extending her hand and sapping Lisa’s vitality with a stream of purple. Lisa howled and dropped to her knees, staying down as Moira finished. The device on her back reverted back to purple as Moira kicked the case away from her. “Now that’s better, dogs must learn their place, mustn’t they?”

“Well then I think you need to be retrained don’t cha? I mean we did shut you down once before didn’t we?”

Morira spun around just as Tracer blinked away, a mild beeping left in her wake. “Here you go!”

“Run-“

Tracer’s Pulsebomb went off with a bang, the blast blowing the doors outwards and sending Moira and the Hybrids off their feet. There was a hiss as purple and gold gas was expelled from the now broken device on her back. Moira looked up just as the Bastion’s core rotated 360 degrees as he reconfigured and opened fire. The first hybrid fell with little effort while Jeff  and the other leapt for cover. Moira vanished, reappearing elsewhere as the machine on her back spilled is precious lifesaving –or life robbing- mix.

Howard however remained on top of Sombra fangs encircling her throat eyes glaring at Chase, taunting her. However, a moment later he was knocked off balance as Lisa launched the briefcase at him, allowing Chase an opportunity to launch herself at the larger male, pulling him off Sombra. Sombra scrambled to her feet to see the two females locked in a deadly battle with the Howard. While Lisa worked on stripping the male of his armor, Chase worked on literally ripping him to shreds where he stood. She was frozen where she was crouched, watching the enraged females destroy the male. Eventually, Bastion had to reload and when he did, Jeff ran from cover aiming to take on the two females. Together the females dodged around him bringing him back to the floor, with Chase crushing the man’s windpipe, letting the body flop lifelessly to the ground as yet another Hybrid charged in to join Moira. 

In the midst of the raging beasts, Moira circled around to ambush the group, instead drawing the attention of Genji, Pharah and Ana. Tracer was busy zipping around to play the distraction while her team tried to land some good hits on Moira. Unfortunately, while she couldn’t store the energy she took, Moira pressed on, trying to sap their energy, instead landing a nasty hit on Fareeha, Tracer, Liao and Chase, causing the group to stumble down to their asses, while Chase disengaged to find another opening. Before Moira could move once more, Tracer, Lisa and Chase struck in tandem, Tracer with a strong right hook, Chase with a wide swing and Lisa with a wild charge. In that moment Moira came face to face with the easily 200+ pounds dry bestial Chase, eyes a pupil-less green as the beast snapped at her face trying to force her to the floor in an attempt to shred her face.

 Moira had usually oversaw Chase’s training sessions and had spent the most time and resources on the girl having intended for Chase to be one of the perfect subjects. When the right buttons were pressed, Chase preformed beautifully. However, being on the receiving end of the Canadian made her feel a bit of fear at what she had created. She wasn’t a big threat, but she was enough of one that Moira had to come up with a way to deal with her, which was a shame as there was a dangerous, deathly beauty to the creature.

Just as Sombra had Chase, Moira had Jeff.  Jeff and chase entered another spat, chase landing several more blows, this time blinding the male, slicing his muzzle to the bone as she shredded his ear in an attempt to bite at his head while Pharah, Tracer and Lisa once again joined in. Unfortunately, Moira launched a dark orb of energy, further sapping their energy until the three broke away to give Moira an opening to escape. “Jeff darling the case!”

Jeff wraithed around Bastion to grab the case, before following suit down the hall. Chase whined and growled, heading for Sombra, limping as she went. The Mexican hacker kissed the beast’s muzzle. “It’s alright Chase I’m fine.”

Chase huffed and turned, heading over to pick up the younger Amari. Pulling the soldier to her feet, Chase let out a questioning growl. “I’m fine, Chase. I just feel weak, like I haven’t eaten in a long time. And cold.”

Liao shivered teeth clenched. “Let’s just finish this mission and get out of here.”

Junkrat cackled, taking out some of his supplies. "If birdie over there can get up high we maybe able to rain all hellfire down on them.”

“Don’t think that’s going to help today Jamison.” Fareeha’s teeth chattered. “It feels like I’m running around in the snow after a polar bear swim.”

“How cold is that?”

“Let’s do it together on New Year’s uncle Liao, maybe you’ll find out.”

“I’m not that crazy.” Liao chattered out, fumbling with his rifle, his fingers numb and cold. “Damn what was that shit?”

“The opposite of Mercy healing stream.” Chase rumbled watching Lisa help Junkrat.

“Hey I know a few places if you need help with Setup.”

“Lead on. Coming Roadie?”

Mercy sighed as she began to try to heal her team. “Tell me how this feels.”

“Warm, like eating a hot bowl of soup after a cold day.” Tracer sighed. “Still a smidge cold though, otherwise this is helping me perk right up.”

“I spent countless hours on that surgical bed, blinded by the lights and constricted by those binds. Wish i could burn this hellhole to the ground.” Chase growled, lobbing a microscope across the room, smirking with satisfaction as it smashed through a glass observation window.

No one questioned her behavior. Instead they prepared to set off after ensuring the base was a ruined mess. In the attempt of the escape, several more hybrids perished as they fought alongside Chase, their collars collected by the woman and the alphas laid to rest next to their victims.

It was tricky but the group escaped undetected, while attention was drawn to the base.

At least victory was achieved, and one more hybrid's life had been rescued.

 

_____________________________________

“You lost the serum??” Akande roared, fist slamming down on the table. Moira looked livid.

“I didn’t even see them take the serum. The other subject must have swiped them when we weren’t looking. Though in retrospect, I now understand why Lisa threw the briefcase. She always had a case of sticky fingers.”

“The base is useless now, the British authorities have gained control and it was exposed as a Talon cell.” Akande hissed watching over the other Talon executives. “We have to hope that Reaper is successful in his hunt. I would have rathered him be there to prevent this though.”

Moira rubbed Jeff’s face as the hybrid growled weakly. Chase had done a number on him, between his rapid regeneration at Moira’s hands, continued injuries and two rounds with Chase had exhausted him mentally and physically.

“I could whip up another batch, but it will take months.” Moira indicated. “but, it may to our benefit if the Serum is in Overwatch’s hands. We could turn this around on them to expose them, or at the very least, there’s the possibility that they may begin to utilize it.

“Doubtful.”

“Chase using it would be the worst case scenario.” Jeff rasped looking up, wincing as if expecting a jolt from his collar. “She’s already so fast, and even without HKs at her side, she’s able to rally people to fight with her. That roar of hers is something else. It’s a HK roar yes, but humans respond to it as well and they stand together.”

“Her personality was strong too.” Moira noted. “She never wanted to lead but there was something about her than made others want follow her to hell and back.”

Akande’s mind thought back. Was it possible that Chase was closer to her father? Both seemed to be quite a like, they even had that quality about them that made people consider following them into hell and back. Was it possible that the HK experiments had strengthened this? Was Chase giving into something that felt oh so natural to her?

One thing was for certain.

If she was like her father, he’d have trouble finishing her off as well. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also working on Some "Deleted chapters/ Cut content" from Revival as well as "Tales of an Oxton" which coincides with this fanfic if anyone's interested. I'm still amazed at the views and kudos this -and my other works- are getting. I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right, so until then, I'l hope that I am. I don't bite guys, feel free to let me know how i'm doing or how I could improve.


	11. A moment of healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch is in need of a new hideout. Luckily they find refuge in a spot that Overwatch never stationed a base in. However the prospect of a second Global Omnic war has just gotten a lot more dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize now that I'll have to go back and fix a few names. On the brightside, finished with school for a few weeks, although awaiting my marks -especially for programing- is extremely stressful. 
> 
> Heads up: this chapter has implied sexual references and at least one sex pun if you look closely. 
> 
> Also there's a list thing in here and while it was formated and nice in word, it royally frigged up here and i can't be arsed to fix it at 12am at night.

Needless to say, the UN had an emergency meeting that day to discuss the Talon cell in England. It was a global matter of security as so far, the investigation had located the bodies of the now former test subjects who coincidentally also happened to be on the many missing persons lists. What files had been left behind also outlined the missing persons who were still alive, but willingly worked with Talon.

One of the biggest things that surprisingly hit the news however, was the mention of Chase Danielle Edwards.

_“Daughter of former Overwatch agent, Commander Damien Matthew Edwards, was reported missing by friends almost two years ago. Chase Edwards was reportedly taken from her mother at age 13 after her mother was sent to jail on child abuse, abandonment, neglect and on drug possession charges. A few months later the Spring Riots happened in Ontario Canada, killing her foster parents. For some time after, Chase was lost to the system until she obtained her license. She again went silent until her friends reported her missing.”_

_“According to Talon reports, she was captured some few days before she was reported missing and became an experiment so something referred to as the “Hunter Killer experiment”. Details are still coming in, but first reports indicate that this was a genetic experiment of some sort that was interconnected with a recreation of America’s Soldier Enhancement program. Genetic testing is illegal in all sovereign countries and as a matter of fact a Genetics testing lab was shut down by Overwatch many years ago.”_

_“What makes this prominent however is the notes in her file which specifically mention two of their agents. The “Sombra collective” appears to be a singular person whose identity still remains a mystery, however it’s stated that Chase was able to escape almost two months ago from this base with the help of Agents Sombra and Amélie “Widowmaker” Lacroix. It also appears as if she’s still traveling with them, as Talon has sent her peers after them to reacquire Ms. Edwards, but have thus far have proven unsuccessful. It is highly suspicious that there have since been several protests worldwide that have been calling for the return of Overwatch."  
_

_“While not confirmed by any sources nor any countries, it’s heavily speculated that either this movement was either done by Ms. Edwards and a group of mercenaries, or this operation was associated with Overwatch.”_

Social media was ablaze with many people speculating either another Shadow military group, or as an indeed Overwatch operation. Regardless of who did it, the credit seemed to be going to Overwatch, with people thanking them for stepping up to take action against Talon. There was lots of criticism against the UN as well. As soon as the UN reminded everyone of the Petras act, a flood of messages filled every message board, forum, chat room, and inbox, calling the UN out on their Hypocrisy asking why Overwatch was being condemned for taking action while the UN and other nations refused to do anything about the organization. The vast majority of messages were from the younger generations who had only heard of Overwatch's legacy.

Instead the UN continued to pressure countries that hadn’t signed the Petras act to sign, threatening them with losing their security council seats and the protection against Talon (“What protection?” several countries asked).

Finally something snapped as England’s representative stood. “As a member of this council, I’m deeply saddened by the events that took place in England. However, this council have done very little if anything to challenge Talon since the disbandment of Overwatch, as they have repeatedly promised. If the UN is going to threaten us with the loss of the nonexistent protection from Talon, then England will gladly resign from the Security Council! Furthermore we will not work with a rouge entity that threatens us in such a way. England will no longer co-operate with any of the wishes of the Petras act. As of this moment any Overwatch activity will not be reported to the UN for prosecution, nor will any agents be persecuted for doing what they swore to do!”

The UN was in an uproar as Italy contested the act, only for Sweden to speak up as well followed by America. In that moment Egypt called for Nigeria to release their information on Akande’s company, only for the country to in turn refuse to unless Singapore coughed up the same for Liao’s company, demanding his status and location.

It ended in a glorious fight and the claim that Liao was still “MIA” and because he was not under suspicion nor was he affiliated with Talon (or any Overwatch Activity), Singapore didn’t have to, especially since they had not signed the Petras act. The end result was now rumors of an impending Trade war between Petras vs Non Petras  countries and Singapore placing trade and travel embargos on both Italy and Nigeria. Secret meetings were held afterwards and several countries voided their support for the Petras act pending further review. The “British Colony block” eventually emerged from the building and several reps flipped off the press when asked what they thought of the supporters of the Petras act.

In short, the Political shitstorm was warranted and producing some form of global entertainment.

__________________________

The return to Gibraltar had been a short yet somber flight. Even on their way back, a political shitstorm was brewing and the news was having a field day. Winston, Emily, Ethan and Lena remained behind to help their story. Efi and Orisa had returned to Numbani while wishing the others luck and promising to help Overwatch. Otherwise all traces of the other members had vanished seemingly overnight.

What no one knew was that an Orca and a Blackwatch stealth plane had flown to Canada that same night carrying the other Overwatch agents. The whole trip was filled by shared coms, and video calls and a lot of people checking the news. Lena had vanished from the feed for a few minutes only to return some 10 minutes later ready to burst from excitement. Apparently a secure call had come in from the MI6, giving her the go ahead to do what she saw fit and stating that although not confirmed nor important, she would not be punished if it was discovered that she had involvement in the recent operation (as the official story was that she was not involved, and until given the go ahead, that's the story everyone was sticking to.)

What no one had checked was the weather conditions when the landed in the overgrown parking lot. A cold snow rain mix rained from above, making them all groan and curse.

 

“It is at least dry inside?” Widow asked while Sombra shoved her.

“Screw it being dry, is it warm?”

“Last I checked yes to both. Chase nodded, noticing Liao shiver violently, keeping himself wrapped in Mei’s thick jacket. The man had been unable to shake off the cold feeling of Moira as it was, but now he grumbling lowly at something. Suddenly he stopped, looked to Yōulíng and muttered a low “Don’t you dare.” The Lioness huffed at him but continued on. No one was questioning how Liao and the lions communicated anymore.

“Anyone have a pen refill?”

“The fuck?”

Ana produced a pen from somewhere and handed it off to the younger woman, who approached a panel and pulled the refill out. Looking over her shoulder she raised her eyebrow. “As soon as the doors unlock, get inside as fast as you can so we don’t set off the silent alarm.”

“The door’s timed?”

“Yeah, security…” Chase slid the refill along the wall and did something to the panel. “Ready? We have a minute and a half to get in.”

Jack put a hand on the handle, positioning himself to open the door and stay out of the way while Rien followed suit on the opposite door. “When you are.”

Chase nodded and fiddled with the refill before jiggling the panel slightly. There was a barely audible click as the door felt looser to both men who pulled them open and allowed everyone to pile inside. as soon as everyone was in, both men forced themselves inside, pulling the door shut behind them. “Rather dark in here Chase.”

“We try to make this place look abandoned to a point.” Chase shrugged leading deeper. “Anyone have a flashlight attachment?”

“O-one thing I d-don’t have in my bag of tricks. My implants only do so much for low light.”

“I’m with Liao on this one.” Jack huffed. “Visor’s not built for night ops.”

“I mean I can see better than I’m supposed to but…. No way can I see in the pitch blackness between us and the safer areas.” Chase offered “Even a lighter guys?”

“Best I have is matches.”

“Not even my lighting will help.” Genji shrugged. “And the dragons aren’t that bright when they glow.”

Lynx huffed –how no one knew how- and a small light projected from her forehead. “it’s not much but it works.”

“Allow me then my friend.” Zenyatta offered, glowing a bright gold. “Experience tranquility.”

 ** _[“I can see in the dark already you know.”]_** Bastion tweeted, displeased with Gany’s discomforted tweeting in the light. Together they followed their way further in past the doors to the main desk. It was oddly empty. **_[“You said that omnics lived here too?”]_**

“Cobol should have been around.” Chase nodded, shifting her machine gun in her arms, checking the ammo bucket. Hope they didn’t flee.”

"Why would they flee?"

“Place is a ghost town, but there’s some resistance groups. In addition there’s other parties trying to take this place over or destroy all the omnics in the area.”

A loud thudding echoed down the hall, caused everyone to freeze momentarily, before their reached for their weapons, aiming in the near dark.

 ** _[“Movement Detected!”]_** Bastion warned, the safety of his rifle clicking off as a blue rectangle of light rounded the corner with a loud staticy crackle. **_[“Omnic Trooper unit Identified. Is the Unit’s name Legion?”]_**

The Trooper’s head turned, the optic facing the group, a semi functional voice modulator hissing to life. **_[“What is the terminal velocity on an unladden swallow.”]_**

“The last person who asked me that ended up in a crevice.” Chase lowered her gun. “Do you remember the question that started the Morning War?”

 ** _[“Yes, ‘does this unit have a soul?’”.]_** The trooper lower his weapon and approached. **_[“Facial recognition has an 86% match for Chase Edwards.”]_**

“I’m back Legion.” Chase welcomed the Omnic into a hug. “Where are the others?”

A loud garbled trumpet bellowed through the halls as Theta thundered down the hall scooping the woman up in her arms, her hand motioning wildly as she let out excited chirps and noises that made Chase chuckle and giggle. Behind her came a blue, silver and gold colored omnic with an odd shaped head, and massive hand like appendages that ended in what looked like blunted claws. It almost looked bear like. “About time you returned. I was wondering where in the hell you were.”

“Cobol!” Chase ghosted free and popped over to the omnic. “Damn I missed you and your friggin mitts!”

“You changed a bit. I don’t mean to sound insulting, but you look a bit…. Better? The look suits you.”

Chase shrugged. “I can agree with you there. Ivan was right, the Mohawk was nice but this fawxhawk is even better, especially when Sombra does it. I… what the hell are Legion and Theta doing?”

The two military units were circling Bastion, making excited chirps at him while he and Gany responded back in turn. “It’s been about a decade since they’ve seen other Military units, lets alone a Bastion unit. Is that a E54? He looks… old.”

“It’s a long story…. But anyway, I should probably introduce you to my friends.” Chase waved and started naming them off, watching the older members glare at the Trooper and the Eradicator. Finally Chase came to Sombra who was busy looking some things up. “And this is my Girlfriend Sombra. She’s the one that broke me out.”

Theta made several low rumbles, her hand motioning wildly as Cobal translated. “She was worried you’d never… pair bond with someone. We were waiting for you since we saw the report on the news.”

“Wait what?”

“They started reporting on your reemergence.” A Familiar Portuguese voice called out. “You know, I never expected that you went through that. Truly amazing how you were able to stay positive and turn that into the drive to help others.”

“Lucio!? What the hell are you doing here?”

The Brazilian reached out to shake her hand. “Concert in the next town. Got a message from your girl there to look up Cobol once I got here. Once I found him, we kept in touch. We came here for inspiration.”

“We?”

“Yeah. You never told me you were an avid gamer. You HAVE to show my your setup.”

Chase smirked as Dva Poped out from around the corner, using her phone as a Flashlight. “I was trying to do streaming before all this Talon business. Sombra invite you too?”

“Nah using the last bit of my medical leave to travel with Lucio for the concert. I’m almost fit for active duty again…” Her eyes slid over to Liao. “Oh hello? Who’s your friend?”

Liao froze before he shook his head furiously. “Sorry.”

There was some amusement as Mei crossed her arms and leaned to one side, half amused. Apparently DVa either ignored it or didn’t notice. “Aww don’t be sorry. There’s no need to be shy. You must get that a lot huh?”

“Hana no.”

“Hana yes.” Lucio Encouraged.

“You’re like what…. 20?”

“You don’t look that old yourself.” More laughter followed as Liao continued to turn red and increasingly flustered. The other founding members and Mei began to snicker as Genji and Jesse snorted loudly.

“Look you’re kinda cute, in the young and eager way but I’m not on the table.”

“Not on the table.” Jesse laughed. “An’ he says he can’t flirt.”

“Shh Jesse I want to see this.”

“Is there something I’m missing?”

“I’m in my late 40s and I’m already spoken for.” Liao blurted out, causing the Overwatch members to snort and chuckle as realization hit the Korean.

“How did he manage to get you Mei?” Angela asked with a kind chuckle watching the climatologist shrug.

“He didn’t, I asked him out. He’s a lot better than he was back then.”

“Damn Hanna you’re thirsty as fuck.” Lucio snickered. “Anyway, are we going to stand out here in the lobby or are we going to head further in and get you guys settled in?”

_______________

_“Hey Uncle.”_

“Shut up, I’m not much older than you.”

Tang-man laughed, fingers ruffling his short dark hair. _“Old enough. I figured you were still somewhere, though I’m a bit surprised that you’re reaching out to us.”_

_“I’m surprised you’re still going. I was wondering why your service record was still active. You should be retired by now.”_

“Oh please. Retired from service? Even if I worked at my company I’d go crazy inside the hour. This is enriching and interesting.” Liao pulled the blankets closer around him. “I like interesting.”

He watched as his former squad mates rolled their eyes. _“What’s new?”_

“Well Mei and I are back together. We’re still talking things over. Marriage is in the future at some point.

_“Wow so late? Well it’s not like you can start a family at this point.”_

“About that...”

_“No… you’re full of it.”_

“It’s true.” Liao shrugged. “Anyway I’m not here to play catch up. I need your opinion on tech and AI. Something’s come up.”

The Singaporeans and Malaysian on the other end of the call fell silent and looked over the file. Liao had begun some light programing of his own when Tang-man cleared his throat. _“Where did this come from?”_

“Officially I don’t know. Off record. Talon.”

 _“I should have known.”_ Sea-Lion rolled her eyes. _“You did Bras Basah too didn’t you?”_

“I acted before I thought, I almost went down with them.” Liao face palmed. “Bad enough the glass was weakened by bullets.”

_“Is that why you’re all scared?”_

“Nope, that was before the fall. Of Overwatch.”

_“You should be retired. When brass finds out-”_

“They won’t, atleast not for a while.” Liao sighed. “Moving on”

_“Anyway, Liao what do you think this is?”_

“An AI or hyper intelligent virus of some sore for the purposes of controlling Omnics?”

_“It’s…. close… but also worse.”_

“It’s a god Program of some sort isn’t it?”

_“Yes.”_

Liao let out a sigh tapping his com. “Sombra, Lynx, do you have a minute?”

_“{I’m a little…. Oh god….. busy right now.}”_

“Doing what?” Liao’s eyebrow quirked as he heard a muffled voice and a gasp from Sombra. “Hello??”

_“{I’m here… Just… preoccupied. You don’t want to know.}”_

_“{I do want to know. Actually.}”_ Lynx retorted. _“{Where the hell are you? I could use your opinion on how we should execute some code and I can’t find you.}”_

“We have bigger fish to fry here. Can you guys get Beta and Augustine while you’re at it? The situation just got worse.”

 _“{Or better depending on where you’re sitting.}”_ Sombra giggled over a deep chuckle.

“What the hell are you doing Sombra???”

 _“{it’s… difficult to explain.}”_ Sombra grumbled before responding to the muffled noise on her end. _“{I’m sorry but he’s being instant…. But I’d rather stay here. Don’t you dare…. It’s fine ok?}”_

“Are you with Chase right now?” Liao’s face fell, glancing to the confused video feed.

_“{No…? Like I said I’m trying to work here..?}”_

_“{Then get your ass down there.}”_

_“{Give me a minute I’m-“}_ Sombra let out a loud low noise. Liao recoiled looking in the direction of his earpiece.

 _“{Oh for fuck sake.}”_ Lynx swore. _“{I can’t even deal with you right now.}”_

“I didn’t need to hear that. Get down here once you’re done.” Liao tossed his earpiece onto the coffee table.

 _“What happened?”_ Tang-man asked. _  
_

“You don’t want to know.” Liao groaned.

 

“How nice of you to join us Sombra.” Liao sighed a few moments later as she entered the common room looking rather sheepish. “Next time turn your coms off.”

“To be fair amigo, it was off until you started pinging me. I was enjoying myself!”

“I could hear that.” Liao sighed into his hand, while Lynx facepalmed “We can talk about this later. We have a development.”

“So did we!” Chase cried waking in, dressed much more casually than she had at Gibraltar. “Thanks for that by the way.”

Liao shook his head, wavering her off with an exasperated cry. “Ohhhh! Go get the groceries with Mei and Brent.”

“Is there anything you want?” Mei asked, pausing as she walked behind the couch.

“A one pound bag of gummy bears."

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I. I need something to snack on while I work."

“Sometimes I wonder about you.” Mei muttered kissing the top of his head and heading out.

There was a pause before Cobol slowly turned his head to face the Singaporean. “A one pound bag? Seriously?”

“I take my gummy bears seriously.” Liao waved at the omnic. “Anyway Sea Lion you were saying?”

_“What I was saying, was that on the surface it does seem to be an AI of some sort, however more research and analysis is needed. Normally I’d say this is an AI than it’s in its infancy. However his behavioral pattern isn’t normal. It seems to be seeking out other systems, other AI. Unless it’s part of their base programing, or they’re running specific functions, an AI will never seek out another AI program unless-”_

“Unless it’s a God AI.” Liao finished. “Christ.”

Sea Lion nodded. _“I still have my research from the omnic crisis as well as research from Anubis. If I have a few weeks to maybe even a month or two to go through the Bastion’s data, I may be able to get a better analysis by comparing the data.”_

“Well it’s was stated already, but omnics were rarely brought into the facility, and when Maximilian came in, the base was always in lockdown and certain systems were shut down. In addition, there were shielded rooms that he would stay in during his stay. Sombra bit her lip. “If that’s the case then they wanted to protect him from the effects of this AI.”

_“Question, the AI…were you able to pull anything about the AI off the server?”_

“Athena?”

_“There was another protocol running in a similar AI structure but I was able to pass through many of the firewalls with help from Sombra’s program. It attempted to interface with me as well, but I was able to deflect its attempts. It’s showing rogue like behavior and seemed rather violent.”_

“Seemed Violent?”

_“Rogue and hostile AI communicate and interact much like organics or other omnics do. This AI was curious, but seemed agitated. When I rejected it’s attempts, it attempted to attack me using brute force. I was able to defend myself by executing protocols and attempting to block it out, however it seemed to have difficulty while doing so.”_

**[“It’s likely because it was attempting to interface with us simultaneously.”]** Bastion offered. **[“I believe that maybe that’s what might have happened to me before I went dormant.”]**

There was a long pause. “That can happen?”

“What?”

 **“[Yes.]”** Legion nodded. **“[In the Earlier days, smaller God AI’s were afflicted with bottlenecks once they amassed forces too large, other had difficulty once they began to demand too many resources. Other times connections were disrupted or severed leaving units to either defect or to fall into disrepair. Normally that shouldn’t happen unless the system is poorly designed, easily compromised, young or overloaded. However as the war progressed, the God AI’s implemented a failsafe to allow autonomous operation, should the connection be severed.]”**

“If that’s the case then how would omnics like Bastion be able to free themselves from the AI’s influence?”

**“[Oversight. Just like an AI reasoning its way out of the three laws of robotics, we omnics could reason a way out of an AI’s influence. It’s difficult, but it can be done. In addition, the AI didn’t take a hard reboot or a full reset into consideration. Omnics who were able to escape largely went undetected. Surely you’ve heard of how some omnics were set to a false sleep mode?]”**

“Morrison mentioned something like that once.” Liao tapped his chin as he thought. “Said it was safer to waste the ammo to be sure.”

**“[The false sleep mode proved useful in ambushes, but was flawed. After a period of time, our systems encounter what equates to a false positive, in where we’d actually slip into sleep mode, and during that time the God AI’s influence is nullified as we go dormant. In most cases, the degradation of the routine occurs, we become wild, or are forced into an almost full reset. We typically lose most if not all memories until a trigger is found, which causes a momentary resurgence in the program that is run similarly to a loop.]”**

**“[From there, since there is no God AI spreading it’s influence, we’re able to self-modify our objectives and draw new conclusions. Because Militarized omnic units are supposed to lack any personal development, this makes our entire structure change to one similar to the humanoid omnics. The AI was curious about me it seems, and grew frustrated when I refused to make contact. ]”** Bastion hummed. **“[It’s possible that had I accepted it’s request, it may have tried to exploit the rogue code in my systems… much like it will the other Bastion units.]”**

“Other Bastion units?”

**“[Bastion Unit, are you saying that much like myself, Theta and many of our omnic kind, there were other bunkers?]”**

“Bunkers?” Sombra felt the blood drain from her face. "You guys had fucking bunkers!?"

**“[One of the things that the AIs planned for was a complete and total shut down, so they prepared hidden storage bunkers and stored small groups of Omnic units within so they could launch an attack when needed or if they were indeed shut down and wanted to be restored by omnic units while catching humanity unawares. Again the AI didn’t anticipate the routine degradation, but if someone knew and someone patched the exploit for malicious reasons…]”**

“Do we know where these bunkers are located?”

 **“[Precise locations no, but I suspect that they are located in countries with dormant or quarantined God programs. Dormant Omniums are also a possibility.]”** Bastion paused. **“[There was a contingency plan in place in Germany where a bunker was being constructed, but it’s unknown if it reached completion.]”**

There was a loud German curse from Reinhardt as he walked into the room. There was no Translation needed.

“I can work with that.” Liao muttered typing something into his laptop, a long strong of code appearing in a window, rapidly cycling through. “Fareeha, do you have access to Helix securities databases?”

“Give me a minute Uncle Liao.” The Egyptian muttered getting up to get her laptop.

“Don’t bother. I’ll get it.” Sombra muttered, working on pulling up the information. “Just need a sec, I already have a backdoor. In the meantime, we can already rule out several places and Programs.”

“Anubis and Egypt… The Detroit Omnium….”

“There was several Omniums in America… but they were either destroyed or raided.” Jack said in a hushed tone.

"When did you guys show up?" Liao growled jumping a good foot in the air.

"Since Bridget told us that we should hear this."

“Got it! Ok so we should be able to start pinpointing places of interest.” Sombra grinned, her grin falling as she read the list. “Holy crap….”

“What the hell….?” Lucio whispered looking over their shoulders eyes wide in amazement.

 

**_ Name                                    Location                                       Class                              Status _ **

_Anubis                        Giza Plateau, Egypt                         God Program           Active/Quarantined by Helix Security_

_N/A                            Russia                                             God Program           Active?/Unknown_

_Shiva                          Tamil Nadu, India                            God Program          Active/ Quarantined by Helix Security Zeus  
_

_Zeus                           Rome, Italy                                      God Program         NO DATA*_

_Pluto                          Cheyenne Mountain, CO, USA          God Program         NO DATA*_

_Hades                        Colorado Springs?, CO, USA             God Program         NO DATA*_

_Unknown                   Majapahit, Indonesia                       God Program         NO DATA*_

_Hera                          Kokomo IN, USA                              God Program         Unknown/Quarantined by The Watch**_

_Unknown                  Unknown/ East China Sea                God Program         Active/Monitored by MEKA See details_

_Thor                         Unknown location, Sweden              God Program         Dormant/No monitoring_

_Cerberus                  Los Angeles, CA, USA                      God Program         Dormant/ Monitored USMC_

_Jasper               North West of Setting Lake, MB, CAN      Adolescent AI        Deactivated_

_Hanuman                Unknown Location, Thailand            God Program        Deactivated By Overwatch_

_N/A                        Rio de Janeiro, Brazil                        God Program       Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Rio de Janeiro, Brazil                        God Program      Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Ireland                            God Program      Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Spain                              God Program      Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Mexico                           God Program      Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Frankfurt, Germany                        God Program      Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown Belgium                          God Program     Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Ukraine                         God Program     Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown                                      God Program     Unknown_

_N/A                        Surgut, Russia                                   Omnium              Active/ Conflict with Russian Army_

_N/A                        Unknown/East China Sea                  Omnium              Active/Monitered by MEKA See details_

_N/A                        Kokomo IN, USA                               Omnium              Unknown/Quarantined by The Watch**_

_N/A                        Chesterville, MD, USA                      Omnium              Unknown/Quarantined by The Watch**_

_N/A        Unknown/Singapore Straight or Batam            Omnium              Unknown/ NO DATA*_

_N/A                        Turin, Italy                                      Omnium              Dormant/ Monitored by Helix Security_

_N/A                        Ventura, CA, USA                            Omnium              Dormant/ Monitored USMC_

_N/A                        Sri Lanka, India                               Omnium              Dormant/ Monitored by Helix Security_

_N/A                          Bordeaux, France                           Omnium             Dormant/No monitoring_

_N/A                        Detroit, USA                                    Omnium              Deactivated/ Destroyed by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Mohave Desert, NV, USA                 Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Murcia, Spain                                 Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Rio de Janeiro, Brazil                      Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A        Outback/Allice Springs, Australia                  Omnium              Deactivated/ Destroyed by ALF_

_N/A        North West of Setting Lake, MB, CAN             Omnium              Shut down_

_N/A                        Muadzam Shah, Malaysia               Omnium              Deactivated/ NO DATA*_

_N/A                        Detroit, MI, USA                             Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Frankfurt, Germany                       Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Mexico                         Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown Belgium                         Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown, Ukraine                         Omnium              Deactivated by Overwatch_

_N/A                        Unknown                                      Omnium              Unknown_

_Notes:_

_This list is of known Omnium Facilities, God Programs and intended God programs, however it is not Exhaustive and may be updated at any time. In addition, some information may be incomplete or missing, due to the rapid disbandment of Overwatch, and loss of their files and servers._

_No Data* : Areas listed with a No Data indicator are inaccessible due to high risk of mortality or security clearance._

_God Program Zeus, located in Rome Italy, is inaccessible to multiple agencies and military groups. Suspected high defense capabilities or outside interference. Multiple reports of loss of contact with exploration teams. Area has been quarantined._

_God Program Pluto, Located in the Cheyenne Mountains, CO, USA is inaccessible to multiple agencies and military groups. High defense capabilities noted on the outside of the bunker. Multiple reports of loss of contact with exploration teams. Area has been quarantined._

_God Program Hades is suspected to be located somewhere in Colorado Springs, CO, USA. Due to the route to the facility being inaccessible due to Security clearance, no research can be gathered._

**_!It’s worth noting that God Programs Pluto and Hades have some sort of rivalry as seen by their actions against one another in the Omnic Crisis. The cause of this is unknown!_ **

_An Unknown God AI appeared somewhere in Majapahit, Indonesia during the Omnic Crisis and is responsible for the Omnic attacks in both Indonesia and Singapore. It is unknown where the Omnium is exactly that produced the Omnics that attacked the two countries. Shortly after the SAF and Lion Force reclaimed Singapore, the AI suddenly vanished._

**_Ammendment 1: As of 2056, it’s suspected that the unknown Omnium is located somewhere within the Singapore Straight or underwater near Batam. There are reports of an odd signal being transmitted intermittently. The signal has not been identified nor decoded._ **

_The Omnium located in Muadzam Shah, Malaysia is supposedly deactivated. However this was proved to be false. Declassified reports from Blackwatch indicated that the Omnium tends to be reactivating itself somehow and that high ranking officials knew of the situation.  After it was deactivated, Overwatch was monitoring the Omnium until it’s fall, after receiving periodic checks. Due to the unreliability of the reports and the unwillingness of Malaysia to allow an independent group to monitor the site, Helix Security cannot ensure the reliability of any current status of this site._

_  
_

_The Watch ** : an apparent Mercenary group that uses the Façade of a security group. The group is unknown to any nation and is seemingly aggressive. They are highly trained and have strong security. **They have been proven to be strongly against Overwatch and therefore are NOT affiliated with the group. **_

_The God Program Hera Located in Kokomo IN, USA has been quarantined by The Watch. While the American Government did not request of sanction the group to monitor the site, they have indicated that there seems to be some activity in the area._

_The Omnium Located in Chesterville, MD, USA has been quarantined by The Watch. While the American Government did not request of sanction the group to monitor the site, they have indicated that there seems to be some activity in the area._

 

Liao looked around with a whistle. Everyone wore a different expression, but all showed signs of fear.

“By deactivated… does that mean shut down?” Lucio asked slowly, looking the the older Agent.

“My understanding is that they are intact but yes shut down. I can’t guarantee that no one can turn them back on however.” Liao shrugged. “Still, nice to know that we may have located the fucker that hit us a while back.”

Tang-man snorted. _“We never could get down there. Something always screwed with our equipment.”_

_“And the signal? Unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard but I can extrapolate all our data and get back to you on that.”_

“How fast can you work?” Sombra quirked an eyebrow. “If this really is a new God Program we’re dealing with, then we need to work fast. We have no idea when Talon’s going to make the Second Omnic Crisis global and if it is a God AI, they’re we’re in for a world of shit.”

Lucio sighed. “And we just have to have two of them in Rio, and an omnium. Great…”

“Meanwhile, we’re going to have to over extend ourselves in SEA and near Australia.” Dva groaned. “We’re so screwed.”

“Only if those AIs are reactivated.” Cobol shrugged, noticing Lynx staring at him, her ears flattened back against her head. “What?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what happened here?”

“The short story was that an omnium was being set up near Jasper‘s facility in Manitoba but was attacked by a full-fledged AI from the States back during the crisis, so naturally the plug was pulled. Apparently one of the American AIs had sent up a small army of Militarized omnics knowing that we’d be relatively safe…  Surprisingly The Canadians held their own for quite some time, but when they began to become overwhelmed, many Omnics leapt in to help, including some reprogrammed and reformed American omnic units. Niagara Falls was a huge point that was contested for quite some time and somehow we won. This lead to a destabilization in the country however and the country was divided on full acceptance or rejection of Omnics and their rights. So naturally Niagara falls became the first settlement to fully accept omnics.”

“You call that a short story?” Lynx grumbled.

“And because of that many other Communities refuse to help you now and have left this area largely as a ghost town.” Hanzo concluded. “However I notice that most of you all wear some kind of protective armor.”

“Believe me, some of the omnics wear the militarized armor as well. We scavenged what we could after most of the military had pulled out. Now this area is run by a gang known as the Strikers and practically everyone’s a member. Other rival gangs in the country have tried to “help” take us back over, groups such as the Haligonians and the CLP.”

“I remember them.” Jack crossed his arms. “Chase hid me away from them last time I was here.”

“The CLP is worse. They’re Hooligans with strong ties to the Political part of the same name.” Azure‘s dragon like tail flicked. “Last time we tangled with them was…. When we picked up Crazy Ivan.”

“Who?” Zaray’s eyebrow quirked at the name.

“Ivan Zaitsev. Russian born, self-proclaimed berserker. He has a lovely pulse minigun with a paintjob  that kind of matches his hair. He has this uncanny habit of being able to find exactly what you’re looking for. If he can’t find it, you’re shit out of luck. That’s how he became our quartermaster.”

“I love how his grandfather got pissed at us.” Beta cackled, her vixen like tail flicking as she watched the humans with interest. “I thought the frigger was going to have an aneurysm!”

“I swear, dealing with you guys is like dealing with a bunch of Children.”

“Welcome to being a Strike commander Liao.” Jack smiled.

________________________________________________________

Lucio and Hana ended up staying the night as the weather worsened into a Blizzard.  Lucio’s manager was fine with it, understanding Lucio’s wish to get to know the locals. Chase, Mei and Brent had returned before the storm began to get really bad.

Ivan had finally made an appearance followed by a Great Dane, a Newfoundland dog, and a Tibetan Mastiff. His cotton candy blue, and teal hair standing out as he pulled off his Ushanka, mumbling something lowly as he cast his tired eyes around the meeting room turned common area. The moment he saw Chase, he leapt at her with a loud, heavily accented cry of cry of “Little One!”. Much to Chase’s chagrin, he scooped her up and held her tightly, as Chase replied with “What’s with large muscled Russians hugging me like I’m a puppy!?”

One he had put her down, Chase grumbled and to everyone’s amusement, tossed something large and heavy at Liao. Jiù zhǔ growled at her in aggravation as the bag failed to reach his creator, the large bag landing with a loud thud. Liao reached for the bag and laughed reading the label. “Okay… I’ve never taken gummy bears this seriously before. Where the hell did you find a 5 pound bag?”

“Chase!”

“Sorry not sorry.” Chase grinned wraithing out of reach of the now angry Chinese woman. “Hey uh Zenyatta, can I speak to you privately?

“Certainly.” The monk nodded following the hybrid down the hall, curious as to why it had taken this long for her to seek him out. “What ails you mind my friend?”

“You know my history by now right?”

“Yes.”

Chase led him to a stairwell and pointed upwards, continuing their conversation once they reached a landing where Chase paused to open the door. “I need your opinion about something. I don’t know who to turn to about this and I can’t continue to focus on this.”

“Oh?” the monk asked, unaware of where he was in the darkness. But he followed the glow of Chase’s indicator.

“I… When we were out today, I saw her. My mom I mean. If looks could kill I’d be dead.” There was a beep followed by a click as Chase opened a door, the faint multicolored light spilling out as she entered and held the door open for the omnic. “I kinda froze up and started to panic. I thought I was over this.”

“She caused you significant pain and suffering my friend. It’s not something that one would get over easily. Besides, it was highly traumatic to you. She exercised a form of control over you that y you at one point accepted and tolerated. She trained you to think that this was normal, that what she said and did was right. She lead you astray.”

“But now I know better, I know she betrayed my trust and how badly she hurt me, how it’s fucked me up.” Chase curled up on her bed, watching the omnic gently seat himself on the foot of the bed.

“You show remarkable maturity Chase. I’ve asked your friends about you, and they’ve shared more information than I expected. Through your misfortune and the misdeeds done against you, it has turned you into a good person.” The omnic’s head tilted. “You try to help others, you try to be noble and so try to ease other’s suffering even when you can’t do anything for yourself. You’re also willing to be the bigger person when you realize what she’s done, going against everything she’s taught you and seeing through her deceit. Unlike her, you’re asking for help to overcome this obstacle.”

“I want to confront her though… Talking to people only does so much. I know it’s probably a waste of time and air, but I want to do it.” The hybrid sighed.

“When you are ready gather those of us who you feel closest to. We will support you and be there should anything happen.” He reached out and gently stroked Chase’s head, watching her lean into his gentle touch. “One thing I learned on my travels was that some humans judge a person’s morals based on their spiritual beliefs or faith. I myself think that that’s absurd. You could be extremely spiritual, but misjudge someone based on personal prejudices, or let another blind you, clouding your judgement. I do not judge anyone until I see ow they act and even then, I know my judgement is unwarranted and won’t change anything.”

Chase was silent as she stared at Zenyatta. “Sorry I wasn’t trying to preach.”

“The Iris…. Is there something about not harming anyone outside of self-defense, but otherwise one may do as they wish?”

“Yes, though I believe I may need more context.”

“’Harm none and do as you will’ I believe is the simplest explanation.”

“Ah a Pagan reed? Interesting., I didn’t think you were the spiritual type.”

“I’m more open than people think. I tend to follow several beliefs, ones where many of the same basic concepts overlap. In my views, as long as you’re a good person who doesn’t intentionally try to harm someone, then you’ll be fine.” Chase smirked a bit. “If that makes me go to hell or heaven depending on the belief system then whatever. I’m doing what I see as good or at least what I hope will be a positive impact on others’ lives, even if it’s a small act.”

“You are a fine young woman Chase. I’m sure you’d be welcomed into the halls of my brothers and sisters in the Shimbali temple.”

“I’d like that actually…” Chase draped herself over Zenyata’s lap cuddling in as she relaxed.

Zenyatta dipped his head, pleased at her actions, staying silent for a few moments before speaking again, his tone sounding much more serious. “If it’s any consolation, in my personal opinion, you’re much more deserving to exist within the Iris than your mother.”

“Basically, she can go to hell?”

“In a sense, yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jiù zhǔ: Savior  
> Yōulíng: Spectre
> 
> I likes the idea of the omnics from the uprising event being viable unit that Overwatch would have faced in the original Omic crisis hence why i shoved them in. for clarification:  
> Legion is a Trooper (think a Null trooper) and Theta is an Eraticator. Again if you want to know what they look like, look up the Nullsector omnics. The only difference would probably be that Legion and Theta probably have a winterized/ pale beige, white and grey/silver paintjobs and blue optics like bastion as a sign of their personality overwrites. 
> 
> I had a lot of difficulty explaining how an AI could lose control over the omnics, so i may go back and fix that when i have the time and energy (read sleep). also I'm working on Liao's backstory...ish? I made quick drabbles and stuff and sent them to friends, but i need to flesh them out some more. One scene will explain how Liao and Mei encountered each other after the fall of Overwatch as well as explain how Liao and the lions communicate. the gist is, they send imaged to his HUD interface and he responds verbally if he can.  
> In this case Yōulíng sent an image of fire to Liao as a way of asking if she should help warm him up. Liao told her no because her offensive capabilities consist of being able to use a flamethrower. 
> 
> Also DVA hitting on Liao was a joke me and Nightengale poked fun with. Whenever i draw Liao, he always kinda looks young. Always saw him as the youngest of the founding leaders, but geeze. idfk anymore. 
> 
> Outside of the Detroit Omnium, the Omnic that caused the birth of the MEKA unit, and the AI Anubis, none of the list is Canon to the lore. Detroit is technically canon as it was in the scrapped First Strike comic. Until mentioned otherwise, I consider it canon.
> 
> BTW, Cobol and Azure are named after programing languages. Alpha and Beta are obviously named after program release stages (like in games). Theta just matched and Lergion... Well Bastion reminded me of Legion from Mass Effect and the trooper design kinda reminds me of the Geth as well (i mean the legs like damn). Since chase is a gamer and a nerd, i thought it'd be fitting. I even included the Morning waar reference in their greeting. The Monty Python Swallow reference.... well the crevasse bit is one of the possible answers you'll get if you ask Siri "what's the terminal velocity of an unladen swallow." 
> 
> Other Non Overwatch members -like Volskyia, her daughter, Bridget and Pharah- are there, just... this chapter was like 16 pages, and that's with it being cut down from 27 pages and i may scrap half of that yet.


	12. Learning from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or in same cases, not at all or ignored.
> 
> BTW, Happy New Year!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badly google translated Chinese below guys. Translations in the ends notes as usual.
> 
> What young Liao looked like (top most image) vs current liao (bottom left) : https://gyazo.com/e99e7d50f55582c62f90a483b1a9cded
> 
> Forgot to post these last night when i posted the chapter, but i wanted to post some of what i was listening to while writing this: 
> 
> Chillstep Dubstep Sights Of Asia Mix (Various songs & artists) : https://youtu.be/s7RqF7qUJ5E  
> Overwatch (Unreleased) OST- sombra's origin story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8BfKKsbQiM  
> Overwatch (Additional Music) - Ana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BR8YqO_R7U  
> DJ Alex R - Shan Lai HD (Oriental Dubstep) : https://youtu.be/BWIm3JWgilw

“If half the people knew the shit we got up to, then we would have been seen as fools.” Jack rolled his eyes, tapping the bar for another beer. Like most things at Wolfpoint Lodge, no one was going to question the supplies, especially not when it came to liquor. Especially free liquor.

“That implies something.” Pharah laughed.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Ana agreed watching Liao and Reinhardt snort into their beer. “How many have you had?”

“Two.”

“Four!” Reinhardt laughed. “I’m drinking faster than Liao.”

“Yes, but you forget Reinhardt, that we’re old men so we have to pace ourselves. Besides, if you pace yourself, you’ll stay drunker, longer.” Liao raised his half empty glass.

“You’re not even 50!” Mei hit him, abandoning her sprite for a moment.

“I’m old enough.” Liao snorted.

“Young punk… I remember a time where we caught you unawares. Fuck, I never saw Reyes laugh so hard.”

Liao paused, his glass raised to his lips. "What time?"

"The time in LA when we stayed in the abandoned police station."

"No one needs to hear that,"

"Oh we have a Story... do tell." McCree asked, whistling to the Shimada brothers in the hall. "Get your asses in here. We have dirt on Liao!”

"Oh shit I have to hear this." Genji called back gleefully rushing in.

"I think I'm done for the night." Liao stammered, moving to get up, only to be forced back down by Reinhardt’s massive hand.

"I think not. Stay and refresh our memories. We're old and you're still young enough to remember."

Liao downed the last of his beer and looked at Augustine. "What’s the strongest thing you have?"

"Why?"

"I don't want to remember this tomorrow... in fact, I need enough liquor for me to not give a fuck that this is being told."

"This night keeps getting better." Sombra cackled.

"Well?"

"I could make you a zombie." The man paused. "I mean the drink."

"I'm not drinking the cocktail.... unless it's got a frilly pink umbrella."  He ignored Chase's snort from down the bar. "What else do you have?"

"Remember the last time he-"

"Genji.... We're not talking about that,"

"I have Absinthe." the room went silent as Augustine spoke and held up the battle. Liao grabbed it and popped the cap off.

"Yeah I'll take that thanks."

"Ohhhh no....."

"This is going to get really interesting really fast." Ana smiled wickedly. "Children watch closely, and learn well from Uncle Liao's mistakes."

Liao flipped Ana off as he took a swig right from the bottle and pulled a face. "Ok then Rein, scar them for life."

"Be lucky that Torb and Reyes aren't here. They'd be beside themselves."

"But you got us Liao." Lena grinned from the holo-vid screen. "Think of this as a sort of initiation of Overwatch."

"How lucky for me."

"I'm not helping you if you get Alcohol poisoning Liao." Angela rolled her eyes.

"Rebuttal statement: tequila. Need I say more?" It was Liao's turn to be flipped off, much to his amusement.

Rein coughed and waited for his stein to be refilled before starting. "This dates back to one of our earliest missions, back in LA. We had just cleared the area..."

 

 

"Are you sure there was nothing?" Torb growled as the team gathered outside of the police station.

Liao popped his goggles up off his face, a clear outline of dirt and dust on his face, adjusting his glasses. "I did a thorough sweep of each building chief, not a thing. I've set up motion sensors in a 12 foot parameter around this building. Unless they Airdrop them in, we’ll have advance warning."

"Do they work?" Rein asked looking at the device. "It looks like a large trip wire."

"I used these back home. Trust me they work. Ever see an M80 go off in someone's hand?" He smiled grimly. "Imagine that times 40 against steel and mechanical parts."

"How did you get an M80, in the middle of the omnic fucking crisis? In Asia of all places?!" Reyes cried as Liao headed for the entrance of the station.

"Don't ask."

"I'm starting to question him."

"I'm no longer trying." Ana looked at Jack. "Either he's really resourceful of he's extremely lucky."

"Lucky? Until he starts shitting four leaf clovers, I think he's fulla shit." Reyes rolled his eyes walking into the station. "What the.... What are you, a requisitions officer now?!"

The younger man was too busy laughing.

 

The building was indeed secure, and dry. With the incoming rain, the inner most rooms were perfect shelter for the night.

After SOME explanation, Liao admitted that he had raided the supermarket down the street. Luckily for them a lot of water and non-perishables were left behind.

"There's still a lot there, but we may want some filter masks. The foods going off."

"It beats MREs. Started to get sick of it."

"Started?" Torb snorted. "That implies that you liked it."

"It's either MREs, dirt, or starve Torb." Jack retorted grabbing at a can of creamed corn. "Besides this adds variety."

"If we could get a small fire going, we could boil water and make half of this."

"Orrrr I could work on that generator and get the power back on just long enough to heat the water tanks... Unless the water's still warm...."

After closer inspection, and trouble getting the door open, the group had found a locker room complete with water tanks and showers. They had towels, but lacked other toiletries. Chances were however that the supermarket still had what they needed.

"I'll get the generator working. Gather more supplies that we'll need. We could make this a base."

"Yes sir! C'mon you two!"

Ana waited for the man and his small silver lion drones to vanish before she spoke. "He's still finding his place with us, will you play nice?"

Torb shrugged. "I'm with Reyes on this one. He's too young to be with us. Might as well have sent a child."

"Had not been for his drones we'd have been dead several times over by now." Rein argued.

"That and he's nimble. He's got nerves of steel to run right into direct fire of those Bastions just to get by."

"Don't confuse stupidity for bravery Morrison." Torb coughed. "He's going to get himself killed."

"Again, his drones."

"He's immature. He needs to grow up." Torb sat down going through his tools.

"He spent the last 5 in a war. Let him live. Besides, at least he knows how to loosen up and keep things cheerful." Ana sighed heading out to wait for the man.

The argument died there.

 

By the time Liao returned, it was beyond the downpour they expected. He was soaked and shivering when he walked in.

"Are your sensors programmed to recognize your drones?" Jack asked as the man walked in shivering. Liao nodded.

"What happened to you?"

With his teeth chattering, Liao threw down a sizeable ball of ice.

"Hail?"

"I-I- I think there's m-m-more than -j-just r-rain C-Commander."

Reyes sighed. "Lovely. The EAS is down in this area and we can't call out without getting noticed. I hope it doesn’t get worse and turn into a fucking tornado."

"Here this should warm you up darling." Torb shot a nasty look at Ana who returned the look as she handed the Singaporean some hot food.  "Also the tanks do indeed, still have hot water. You could use that to warm up further."

"Thanks Captain Amari."

"We could all take advantage of a little hot water. I mean, we all stink."

"Speak for yourself Jack! You smell like wet dog."

"And you smell like death, but we're just being polite."

Jack smirked and shook his head. "God we could have used you in the SEP, you would have been entertaining."

"Well now you just seem boring."

Reyes snorted and nearly choked on his food. "Why are you two roasting us?"

"Trust me, we're just warming up."

"Then you need to up your game. I've heard worse."

"For someone who claims to be annoyed by Gabe, you sure seem to be running to his defense a lot." Torb waved a hand throwing his trash in the bin.

"Well they bicker like a couple already so...."

"Look, we went to the SEP together that's where we met, we have no involvement."

"If anything it's a bromance! Give it up."

Reinhardt grinned, looking much like the bird that are the canary. "Really? I've seen you two cuddling together for several nights now, with Reyes as the small spoon. It's still rather warm at night so I'm not sure as to why you two are cuddling. I'm not entirely blind you two."

"Yeah, it doesn't matter to us anyway. We won't judge."

"Fuck off!"

The room burst into laughter as Jack shook his head. "I told you someone would notice Gabe."

"And I told you that you should stop doing it."

"Even though you enjoy it?"

"It's only ‘cause I keep waking up and it's you."

"Ok, Torb pay up."

"Oh for Pete sake. You're going to bleed me dry Ana."

"Then stop making bets you can't win." Ana grinned as a few bills were passed to her. Separating the bills, she passed half to Liao.

“Pleasure doing business Ana.”

"He wasn't in on this!"

"I was actually. I just didn't want to approach you. Did you honestly think Ana would bet $40 on this herself" Liao got up, throwing his goggles onto his bag. "I'm going to get washed up."

"Save some water for the rest of us."

"Sure thing Uncle."

Ana snickered as there was silence for a moment be fire Jack chased after the younger man. "I'm only a few years older than you, you little shit!"

"Why do you mother him Ana?"

"I've already explained this Reyes. Besides, if you three insist on him having to constantly prove himself, he's going to eventually snap."

"He may get along with you somewhat well Reyes, but you need to be a bit more gentle with him."

Reyes threw his beanie at his breastplate. "This coming from the man who wears basically Fallout Power Armor."

"They do not relate." Reinhardt glared. "Wearing my armor and being gentle that is. I can and have been gentle."

"I just think that Torb’s jealous that he too has a degree in engineering." 

Torb sighed. "It's more than just that it's.... Don't get me wrong, he's smart. Hell they say he's a genius! But still, if he's so smart why did he have to enlist at such a young age, or at the very least why did he have to accept the offer?" 

"He wasn't really given a choice from where I stood." Jack said as he returned. "They didn't even tell him before arrival judging by the look he had on his face when they asked him. He's only 18 and they then put him on the spot and asked him to fight for the world."

"He could have refused though."

“You really think he would have refused in that room?”

"But he didn't. Whether or not he felt pressured to join is not up for debate. What matters is, that he was willing to work with us. We all work together quite nicely. We give each other shit in good fun and we're all cordial with each other. We act like a family. We're a team."

"You've been talking to him."

"Because I'm being Civil." Ana glared. "He's also been my spotter in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't."

Ana pulled out a holo, showing it to the other men. "This is my daughter Fareeha. She's spending time with my husband Samuel up North in Canada. Egypt's far too dangerous right now. I fight so she may grow up safely and be happy. We all have a memento from home. Everyone except him. All he has is that charm on his wrist that he won’t talk about, and the gear he had with him when he arrived in Zurich."

"Gabe doesn't have a memento."

"Yes I do!" Gabe pulled out a photo of a young Doberman Pincer. "This is Cerberus, the damn best pup I've ever had. A certified good girl. Hell I don't even know if she's still alive out there."

"If she's anything like you, I'm sure she is, and-“, Ana smiled pausing to listen. "Do you hear that?"

The group paused to listen, hearing something faint coming down the hall. Reinhardt waved and slipped down the hall before returning moments later with a grin on his face. "Nothing to worry about."

"Then what are we hearing?"

"Just him tending to his wounds and singing."

"What?"

"I kid you not friends. That's what he's doing. He's got amazing range, I'll give him that."

"Oh I have to hear this."

"You only sing in Spanish Reyes! What are you going on about?" Jack followed after.

"What's he singing anyway?"

"Not sure on the name but I know it's older than my father."

"A classic?" Torb shook his head as Reinhardt slipped out of the room again.

"I'm more worried that I was able to sneak in and out of the room, without him knowing."

"Ok now that has my interest."

"Can we maybe let him have some privacy for a while?" Ana protested chasing after the men.

"Ana we're military. We're used to a lack of privacy."

"You lot maybe. I'm still getting used to it." Torb grumbled as they stopped outside the door. They couldn't make out what the man was singing, but it was apparent that he had some sort of music player with him. Slowly, Reinhardt opened the door and slipped inside.

"See?" Rein hissed.

"I'm impressed." Reyes mouthed slipping in with the others, watching as Ana shook her head and stood in the doorway looking away.

There was nothing to really see. Between the steam and the half wall, all they could see was the man's upper half while he bounced slightly to the beat.

"Danger danger, high voltage! When we touch, when we kiss. Danger danger, high voltage! When we touch, when we kiss, when we touch~."

"He does have good range, damn." Jack's started dancing in place. "Where'd he get that?"

"Good question." Ana glanced over. "What's that on his shoulder?"

"What?"

"The black thing on his right arm."

"Think it's a burn or an infection?"

"Whatever it is it's not washing off." Reyes smirked pulling his shirt off.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to get cleaned up, what does it look like?" Reyes asked undressing and gathering his things. Jack sighed.

"He's got a nice ass I'll give him that." Ana muttered watching Reyes walk towards Liao.

"He's always had a nicer ass than me. I'm jealous." Jack sighed looking at the other three members who were giving him a look. "Did that slip out?"

"It did more than slip out Jack." Ana coveted her mouth as her body shook.

"How has he not heard us yet, let alone Reyes?"

"Hell if I know."

Their question was answered a moment later when Reyes slipped in behind Liao and started singing with him. The man near jumped out of his skin as he screamed. Pushing his half soapy hair off his face he turned around before shooting a look over his shoulder as the others began to laugh. Turning back towards the shower wall, swearing loudly in Chinese, followed by a heavily accented "What the fuck?!"

"That voice crack holy shit." Reyes cackled. "How did you not hear us?"

Liao's face turned red as he exploded, shouting in Chinese while the Latino laughed harder. With a growl he shoved Reyes hard. "Get out!"

"Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself." Reyes said trying to grab at the shorter man’s arms. "By the way, what is on your arm?"

 ____________________________________________

 

"What I find funny, is how you find walking in on someone in the shower amusing." Liao growled, spinning around the now empty bottle.

"You screamed first off. Then your voice cracked twice. It was Hilarious."

"I didn't know that he switched languages when startled. How do you do that?" Hana snorted.

"My father spoke a lot of Chinese when I was growing up. Essentially I have two primary languages." Liao grumbled, face flushed from his drink. “It happens.”

"How you are still coherent right now, is beyond me."

"It's hitting me, give it more time."

"So what's on your arm?"

Liao glared at the group. "No."

"Aww tell us."

"Take your shirt off."

Liao laughed. "I'm still nowhere near drunk enough for that."

"I've seen it." Genji grinned as Liao slowly turned to him with a death glare. "Let's just say he can't get into a public bath house with it. At least in Japan anyway."

"You mother fucker."

Hanzo looked back and forth between Genji and Liao before it sank in. "Really? You don't seem like the type."

"Ugh! My squad was drunk and we lived with our decisions afterwords. Typical army rite shit!" Liao stood wobbling a bit as Augustine slid him a pinkish drink with a frilly pink umbrella. "What's this?"

"A zombie. You said you wouldn't drink one unless it had an umbrella."

"Go to hell." Liao shook his head starting to down the drink before Ana got Liao in her crosshairs and took the shot.

"I didn't know that "typical army rites" extended from shoulder to elbow Liao."

Liao spit out his drink at her words and threw the glass at the wall before stomping out of the bar.

"Ohh hoo! He's pissed!"

"In more ways than one." Lena chuckled over the video feed.

"Real talk Genji, I've never seen it. What is it exactly?" Jesse’s finger ghosted over the rim of his glass. Genji smirked at Hanzo who lifted his left arm with a faint grin.

"No fucking way."

"Explains why he doesn't like short sleeves."

"Not around you guys anyway, I've seen it several times." Mei sipped on her soda. "But still, it's nowhere near as colorful as Hanzo's, but it's still rather nice."

"Mei!!!"

Angela sighed "I'll never understand why he doesn't just get rid of it then."

"It's huge and it's practically black and shades of black." Genji offered.

"Yeah I mean, look at the pain I went through when you removed Talon's mark, and that was small solid black text." Chase raised her glass.

"Bolded text, but I see your point."

"And that's why I'm keeping mine." Widow smirked. "Is he still out there?"

There was a thud followed by what sounded like a curse before she finished her sentence.

"Not my commander. Not my problem." Mercy shrugged, sipping at her pina colada.

 

__________________________________________________

 

“How’s your head?”

“Much better thanks.” Liao looked to Ana and sighed. “No I never learn my lesson.”

“You never really did.” Ana smiled handing his a cup of coffee. “Here this may help.”

The man shrugged and adjusted his glasses. “My implants are going to be disoriented later.”

“You could just push lenses out.”

“Yes but anyone who picks them up will blow my cover.” Liao shrugs. “That and sentimental reasons.”

“You mean to tell me that you weren’t wearing your glasses when you fought with Reyes. And you then kept a redundant pair of prescription glasses for almost 8 years?”

“I thought that much was obvious Ana.” There was a pause as he sipped at his coffee, eyes widening. “This is good coffee.”

 _{“Canadian’s jokingly call it the ‘Canadian Crack.’ They take their coffee seriously here Uncle Liao.”_ } Fareeha snicked. { _“Can you PLEASE make a Timmies run before you come back?”}_

“A Timmies run?”

“Samuel has ruined you for me darling.” Ana sighed into her coms. “I’ll never forgive him for giving you a taste of Tim Horton’s.”

“Says the woman drinking it.”

“Touché, he who sticks his nose up at Starbucks.”

“I have my standards when it comes to coffee thank you kindly.” Liao rolled his eyes. “I’m not one for this “ Uhh… Non-fat, upside down blended, extra whipped cream and caramel drizzle, pumpkin spice flavored” crap. Just give me a regular coffee and let me get on with my life.”

“Pumpkin spice?” Ana turned to look at the man.

“He who controls the pumpkin spice, controls the white girls.”

_{“Took the words from my mouth Captain.”}_

_{“Can we also mention the fact that it tastes like dirty water?”}_ Sombra gagged. _{“Their Smoothies are expensive but good.”}_

“Back home the prices were a hell of a lot fairer. Mango was my favorite.” Liao blew on his coffee. “Also Sizing bullshit.”

 _{“The three things Canadian’s run on: Poutine, bacon, and Tim fucking Hortons.}”_ Pharah counted off

_{“What about Maple syrup?”}_

_{“That’s a huge stereotype.”}_

_{“Hate to interrupt you ladies, but are we going to bitch all-day about Starbucks or are we going to act look for the actual bitch?”}_ Dva snapped into her Com. Chase Laughed beside her, sipping on something herself.

“Chase I have no idea how toy can drink the equivalent of a coffee slushie on a day like today.”

_{“Welcome to Canada Liao, where you can experience all four seasons in one day. Besides it’s like 18 Degrees.”}_

"It was snowing two days ago! How can it reach 18 in two days?"

_{"Weather bullshit. Trust me, its worse down East."}_

Liao groaned. “Sombra, Lynx, We’re in position. Can you find the bitch?”

 _{“Four blocks down taking her time in the stores…. But she’s headed this way.”}_ Lynx hummed. _{“Sombra?”}_

_{“I’m the internet Café. If she walks by, I’ll tail her. Keep an eye on her Song.”}_

Everyone knew what that meant.

 

Across the street Chase sipped at her Ice Capp, watching Zenyatta, Lucio and Hana on the bench around her.  Looking down she sighed. “Tims needs to get their extra large sizes back.”

“I thought you got a large.” Lucio sent her a look. “And that’s not big enough?”

“Nothing’s big enough when it comes to a Tims Ice Cap. McDonald’s is too sweet…. Man fuck them! About the only good thing about them is their Big Mac Sauce, their Thai sauce and their fucking Mc Gangbangs.”

“Wait Secret menus items exist?”

“Yes. You just have to order them a certain way.”

“I’ll never get how secret menu items are made.”

“Customize menu items. Either they catch on because customers spread around how to make food that tastes good, or they catch on because the workers mix and match till something tastes good.” Chase Grinned. “I used to be a fan of the ranch wraps. Throw on a sweet and sour and Mm…”

“What?”

_“{Gross.}”_

“You try eating their grilled chicken. Shit tastes like the fatty bits of pork or some shit. The sauces drown out the nasty ass “chicken” flavor.” Chase growled. “Anyway let’s stop talking about food. You’re making me hungry.”

“You started it.”

“I still want to see if we can find those Korean fire noodles Hana. They can’t be that bad are they?”

DVa snorted. “Lucio you have no idea.”

_{“Pussy!”}_

_{“Some of us are into that too, but at least we’re not saying it out loud Liao.”}_

“Ouch.”

 _{“Looks like the doctor is in.”}_ Pharah laughed loudly.

_{“Fuck you.”}_

Hana shook her head and looked towards chase. She was trembling despite the temperature, and despite her body being stiff as all hell. Reaching over to adjust the collar of her vest, Hana took a peek at the indicator light on the woman’s now hidden collar.  She looked up at the woman who was holding a good poker face then back to the yellow light.

“Chase relax. You have me, Lucio and Zenyatta with you if she tries anything. Besides, if things get Ugly, We have Ana, Liao ad Sombra nearby too.”

Chase gave a shuddering sigh. “I’m fucking scared of her. Part of me wants to shove her teeth down her throat while the other part of me wants to go home. I want to do this but I’m scared.”

“It’s normal.” Zenyatta put a hand on her shoulder. “But this is part of conquering your fear of her. By doing this, you will help to relieve years of tension, fear, confusion and uncertainty. You’re right, she may brush your concerns off and you may waste your time and breath on this, but it’s better than letting it fester inside of you.”

_“{Yeah Sheila! You gotta let her know that you’re the bigger person. You gotta show her that you’re better than her in every way!}”_

_“{Jamison, I think that’s the wisest thing you’ve ever said since you hired me.}”_ Roadhog’s voice rumbled down the coms.

“It’s something when even Junkrat has your back.” Lucio shrugged looking up the road. “Incoming.”

 _“{Shit! I was looking something up! On my way!”}_ Sombra scrambled up. _{“She’s power walking.”}_

“Hana move down closer to me. Make it look like Zen and Chase are together.”

“Damn it!”

Zenyatta’s hand gently squeezed Chase’s shoulder. “I’m with you my friend. Don’t let fear overcome you and only gently release your anger. Also relax, I can hear you whining.”

Chase mad a noise as she noticed her mother. She hadn’t realized that she was whining.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she swirled her drink in her hand. Zenyatta’s hand withdrew gently as to seem inconspicuous. Chase rolled her shoulder and gently began to bounce her leg. Dva craned her neck slightly as Chase’s mother passed, pausing at her daughter. The indicator was glowing a violent gold, nearly orange.

“What are you doing here?”

“I live here?” Chase quirked an eyebrow. Her attitude leaking out. “Last I checked, this was a free country. Never knew you were out though.”

“And I never knew they let you back into the country.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed. “And why wouldn’t I? I’m a Canadian citizen, I was kidnapped and taken away without my consent. I’m a victim.”

“You’d know all about that wouldn’t you?”

Chase was on her feet in a flash, standing at least a good head maybe a head and a half over her mother. “And who made me that way? What kind of person gives birth to a child, holds them when they’re this small and decides to set them up for cruelty? Who sits there and abused their own child with no remorse, with no consideration of the consequences for themselves, let alone the child!?”

“Oh grow up. That was in the past.” Michelle spat, noticing Zenyatta. “What’s this? Something to pass for a friend?”

“I’m a traveler from Nepal, a Shimbali monk ma’am.” Zenyatta lifted his head. “However I’m willing to be a friend to those who need it, and if this is your daughter than I think she’s more than deserving of a friend.”

“The bitch deserves shit. You’re probably lying about being experimented on you little freak. I’ve heard the news and I think you sold yourself to Talon for money, then tried to back out after you noticed that you got yourself in over your head again.” Chase violently flinched, the indicator turning a blood orange color.

“Oh shit… she completely bypassed orange.”

_{“Fuck! Keep her from doing anything stupid.”}_

_{“Oh all times for there to be traffic.”}_

“Why would lie about being kidnapped and being experimented on? Oh but apparently I was lying when I told the rest of your family what you did to me, and you lied to them to save your ass.” Chase’s voice had gone oddly calm. If one listened closely, they would hear the underlying growl in her throat as her rage simmered.

“So what if I did? Get it through your think fucking skull Chase. I don’t give a shit about you. No one does. What are you going to cry? Go on, cry about you’re mommy issue. Cry about how your father got himself fucking killed, leaving me to be stuck with you. I didn’t want you, you only served a means to an end before your father got himself killed. “

Michelle got into chase’s face, putting her finger right in her face. “You will never amount to anything, you were never anything special. You were a disappointment, my biggest mistake.”

“You hurt me repeatedly, with no remorse. You never felt a thing?”

“You’re stupid to think I’d ever feel a thing. Apparently I didn’t hurt you enough.”

“How….. You almost killed me, twice!”

“Maybe I should have, I would have saved myself the effort and time.”

Everyone in person, in the lodge and even listening to the coms, felt as though they had been hit in the stomach. Katya held her daughter closely, the omnics almost stalled. Amalie’s hands dropped from where she had been cleaning her rifle. Phara and Angela rose to their feet in anger. Mei, Liao, Genji, Yume, Hanzo Ana and Jack all inhaled sharply, knowing as parents, the value of their children’s lives. Sombra stopped dead in her tracks watching Chase and her mother just ahead, Chase’s resolve shattered.

Across the ocean Winston gripped his desk, jaw dropping open in disbelief at the woman he had though could change. Lena gripped the counter to keep herself on her feet, watching the coms device as her eyes stung. Later when Torb joined the channel to investigate he would pause in shock, his silence deafening to the coms.

Even Reaper, listening in using Sombra’s network was enraged. He god daughter was in pain, even though the coms were silent in that moment. He snarled, as edgy as he was, as much as he wa for one’s demise… to wish death upon someone like that, for someone to admit that they wished they had taken the chance to end someone else like that….

Reaper felt utterly disgusted.

Sombra recovered fast and rushed to the hybrid’s side. “Chase! Come here. No escuches a este hijo de puta. Ella no entiende tu valor.”

Michille was taken aback by Sombra hugging Chase who was on the verge of tears. Breaking out of her stupor, she pointed at Sombra. “Who are you?”

“I’m her girlfriend.”

“Her girlfriend?” Michille laughed. “You’re fucking kidding me right? And you actually fucked her? I thought she’d only ever get sex through a computer! I guess I was right. She’s not gay, I mean I can imagine any woman enjoying another woman’s breasts pressed against them. So how much is she really paying you-“

 ** _“ENOUGH!”_** Chase half bellowed half roared, lunging at Michelle, her indicator red, giving a single warning chirp. It was all Sombra could do to hold her back while Zenyatta, Hana and Lucio all jumped to her aid. Chase began to breathe heavily, her eyes black and green as she stared at her mother.

“嘿!” Liao roared running across the street. “离开她你妈的婊子！ 离开她现在你我会撕裂你一个新的混蛋！”

“{Oh god….}” Mei sighed. “{I’m not translating that.}”

“He’s pissed for sure.” Ana said following the man through traffic. “The only thing I caught was him saying asshole.”

“Who are you?”

“One of the men who can make your life a living hell.” Liao spat. “You EVER touch her or come near her again and I’ll make your life so miserable you’d be wishing you were still behind bars.”

_{“Ana stop him before he gets arrested.”}_

_{“Our laws are a joke. At worst he’ll be deported.”}_

_{“First off, he’s MIA to the world. Second off, he wasn’t checked in at the border so we’re here illegally.”}_

_{“Sombra and I took care of that. Technically, the only ones here illegally as of now are JunkRat and Roadhog, but we’re working on it.”}_ Lynx said. _{“But yeah someone stop him before he’s arrested for assault. I don’t want to even imagine the trouble he’d have explaining and trying to sweep the incident under the rug in Singaporean official get a hold of him.”}_

“I’m on the same Comlink. I can hear you.” Liao growled turning his attention back to Michelle. “Look, I knew your husband, and I can and will make life hell for you if you continue to harass her.”

“That goes double for me.”

“Uh hello, you guys are just going to ask me and 17 to do the dirty work anyway.” Sombra shrugged. “Besides, Chase is my girlfriend so I get the first swing.”

Michelle’s face fell. “You guys are Overwatch.”

“Were.” Ana corrected. “Petras says that no Overwatch activity is sanctioned…. At least, not right now since some countries are pulling support. But there’s no laws against us socializing and keeping you away from Chase.”

“She has a point though. Who brings someone into the world only to turn around and hurt them, while saying that it’s perfectly ok?” Lucio bumped shoulders with Chase. “That’s a dick move.”

“You’re a real miserable bitch you know that?” Hana crossed her arms. “Why do you have to go out of your way to make her life miserable too? That’s fucked up.”

“You have much discord in you Michelle, and you’re not willing to let it go. I understand that you don’t care about how Chase feels, how you’ve hurt her or the pain you’ve caused her.  You show no remorse, no acknowledgement for what you’ve done. You only selfishly put your needs about everyone else. Chase told me that you one told her that you’d do  quote “what’s best for me” and I regret to inform you, but you seem to have succeeded in that goal. My brothers and sister would be shocked to hear me say this, but as you humans say, there’s a special place in hell for you.”

The human’s watched Zenyatta, who’s voice had grown deeper at the human idiom. Zenyatta was always so tranquil, but it was clear that the woman’s words had struck a nerve within the omnic. As Michelle began to walk away Chase lifted her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as her eyes remained their hybrid black and green.

“All I ever wanted was a normal relationship with you, like me and dad did. I wanted you to love me, to care for me… to be there when I needed you. When I was sick I stayed quiet. When I was in pain, I bore on until it got worse. I suffered silently. I didn’t want to fear you, I didn’t want to hate you and I didn’t want you to toss me aside. You made me feel alone, worthless, stupid. I was jealous, I wanted what the other kids had, I wanted to feel like them. I wanted you to be more than just someone who pushed me out and called herself a mother. I wanted my mom.”

“You mean nothing to me Chase, you never did.”

“I know… I never realized it until I was older but, that’s why you’ve always been dead to me.” Chase flipped both middle fingers up at her. “Fuck you, you fucking bitch.”

Michelle turned on her heel. Chase’s tears were streaming down her face as she held back her sniffling, putting her hands down. The expression on Chase’s face was heartbreaking. Michelle walked off, feeling multiple pairs of eyes judging her. Not that she cared but it seemed that she was wrong about people not caring.

Sombra hugged the woman as she slowly broke down, her friends hugging her closely. Sombra noted that Chase’s indicator color had dropped down from red to a greenish yellow. She sighed. “Hey, Chase, look…. She obviously won’t understand your worth. She doesn’t appreciate you. Yeah I know it’s fucking criminal but… Hey. We’re here, and we’ll always care about you. You’re worth more to me than all the knowledge in the world.”

Chase looked up with an unsure whine but Sombra continued. “I’d never give up on you. You mean too much to me, mi cazadora.

Chase blinked, her eyes returning to normal. “Really?”

“Yeah. We’re a family Chase. We don’t give up on each other like that. We don’t abandon family.” Liao patted her shoulder.

“Even if we leave or go missing, we’re still family. Even after we die.”

“Hey why don’t we check out the mall?” Hana suggested trying to distract the girl. “We could upgrade your gaming rig and stuff and maybe I could put you out there a bit on the gaming scene. You weren’t actually too bad before Talon caught you.”

“Yeah, besides, the concert’s tomorrow. So we’ll have some good times. I can get you all in no problem. We could use some positivity after today.” Chase nodded.

______________________________________________

 

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“C’mon are you my commander?”

“I’m training you kid.”

“You said I’d be fit for Blackwatch.”

“But you haven’t decided yet.” Liao snickered. “Besides, you really want to Drag Lucio into this?”

“We’re fighting the Vishkar. We’re helping him.”

Liao sighed. “Fine fine….. We’ll sneak with him.”

“Just us three?”

“Mei and Sombra are going to kill us.”

“Then we prepare for it.”

“And the Strikers?”

“I’ll have to face Jarrett. He changed how things were governed… it’s going to literally be a fight.”

“I’m really going to have to train you huh?”

Chase was about to reply when there was a knock at the door. Mei poked her head in. “Hana Says it’s ready…. What are you two up to?”

“War stories.” Liao grinned. “Don’t worry some are secret.”

“Sure…. Hurry up.”

“Yes dear.” Liao grinned at Chase. “C’mon, time to sear your taste buds.”

“I was told you liked spicy food?”

“Love it. Think I got it from mom and my cousins… not sure.”

“Man you must be lucky to have gotten to see so much.”

“If we get Overwatch back together, you’ll see the world. Tell you what. I’ll make you a promise that I’ll show you around when to visit Singapore.”

“Seriously?”

“I think you’ll love it.” Liao said, leading her down to the kitchen. “Speaking of.”

“Nice tank top Liao.”  

“I’d love to know who took all my shirts.”

“The Tattoo is cool man. Why didn’t you show it off sooner?”

On Liao’s right shoulder was a nice tattoo in black shaded with blacks and reds. Extending from his shoulder to his elbow were two Chinese lions, while behind them a dragon around from the water, its snout ending on his collarbone.

“Because I didn’t want to.”

Hana shook her head as she prepared the challenge. “Whatever utensils you want guys. First one to reach for something to drink is the loser. First person to finish and last 5 minutes with nothing to drink is the winner.”

Genji swirled the noodles in the bowl. “I don’t like the color of this.”

“The sauce looks like blood till it hits….” Sombra sniffed and swore.

“That’s hot.” Hana nodded. “By the way this is the pussy version of the MEKA unit initiation.”

Liao raised an eyebrow. “What’s the real version?”

“It involves extract of a Carolina reaper, chili pepper flavored vodka, sriracha sauce and two helpings of fire noodles.”

“That sounds fun.”

“Sadist.”

“That’s looking for a stomach pump.”

“Liao, Genji, Fareeha, Lucio, Chase and Sombra? Really?”

“You forgot me.” Zarya threw her hand up looking at the bowl as if having second thoughts.

“I’d try, but I don’t want to start the heartburn early.” Mei leaned against the wall.

“Ok but to be fair, Liao you’ve had this before right?”

“Fuck you, no you said this would be fair!”

“It isn’t if you can handle these well as it is!” Hana pouted.  “So I added a generous amount of sriracha to yours.”

“And if it’s not enough?” Liao snorted. His grin falling as a bottle of Carolina Reaper extract was placed in front of him. “Ok I walked into that one.”

“Please tell me we have a fuckload of milk, ice cream, or SOMETHING!”

“Yes.” Hana nodded. “I don’t get what’s with the milk. Why couldn’t we use soy?”

“Because fuck that shit.” Sombra rolled her eyes. “Besides, real milk has fat which helps.”

“Am I holding them right?” Chase asked trying to position her chopsticks. Both Genji and Liao looked at her. “Close enough.”

“Ready guys, get set… go!”

The first mouthful always threw people off. By the time you reached the second or third, the spice would hit you like a train. Zarya, paused and dropped her fork, shaking her head. Sombra made angry noises, while Lucio slammed the table and groaned.

“Instant Regret.”

Genji was busy pulling a face while Fareeha hung her head in regret. Liao reached for the bottle. “Not quite hot enough.”

“Do you have any taste buds left man!?” Lucio cried feeling a sweat coming on. “Fuck me!”

Liao shrugged and dropped two drops onto the noodles and mixed it before taking another bite and dropping his chopsticks and making hand signs. “There it is!”

Chase was pulling a face, her sinuses kicked into overdrive and her mouth and lips ablaze, but she pushed on. “Guys it get better just keep shoving it in.”

“That sounds so wrong.”

“She’s right.” Liao gagged. “Oh Jesus, I have so many questions right now.”

“Yeah what sadist made these!?” Fareeha shook her head angrily. “I feel like I want to head butt a wall right now.”

“Please don’t.”

Zarya broke first, tossing back half a jug of milk before she surfaced. “I’m not a fan of spicy food… but that’s too much.”

Lucio was next. “Oh god my stomach is on fire. What’s in that stuff?”

Genji finished the bowl first but dove into the ice cream immediately. “In my defense it’s just insanely hot ramen. I had to finish the ramen bit…. God, I love strawberry ice cream.” 

“Save some for me.” Chase threatened. “God guys don’t talk but shovel it in.”

Sombra groaned and paused to breathe, watching the two others throw it back. Both were sweating and tearing up. “Oh come on….”  

“Join us babe.”

Sombra bit her lip then threw back the remaining fire noodles, gagging the spice. “I’m going to regret this later.”

“We all will…” Genji laughed as Zarya started on her second jug of milk. Lucio however started eating out of the same bucket of Ice cream.

“Eww…”

“At this point I don’t care.” He eyes Junkrat grabbing toe bowls of those who forget to eat it himself. “And you’re not getting after him.”

“He’s a special case.” Ana snickered.

“Ouch!”

Liao leaned back. “Well this won’t be fun.”

“I know my mouth will calm down before then but the ice cream will be well worth it. After waiting.”

“We have more ice cream.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liao's singing "fire in the disco" by Electric six. 
> 
> No escuches a este hijo de puta. Ella no entiende tu valor. - Don't listen to this motherfucker. She doesn't understand your value.
> 
> 嘿! 离开她你妈的婊子！ 离开她现在你我会撕裂你一个新的混蛋！- Hello again badly google translated text. I was trying for 
> 
> “Hey! Get away from her you motherfucking bitch! Get away from her now you I'll rip you a new asshole!” 
> 
> But that didn’t happen. 
> 
> mi cazadora- my huntress
> 
> this is the tattoo that insipred liao's (I found this while looking up the references for the Lions) : http://nextluxury.com/wp-content/uploads/lion-guardian-foo-dog-mens-forearm-sleeve-tattoo-with-shaded-ink-design.jpg


	13. A New Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Symmetra has always known that something wasn't quite right with the Vishkar's approach to particular problems, but is she prepared for the truth and to see just how far down the rabbit hole she actually is?
> 
> There's more going on behind the scenes than the MEKA Squad is prepared for. Can Hana and Dae-hyun handle their new responsibility?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alllivee! Once again I'm sorry for the wait for this chapter. I've been suck on it since April and I've re-written it several times. It was originally supposed to play host to two additional scenes but I've moved that to the next chapter. With the release of Hammond it's changed the plot a bit, especially in the later (read bonus) chapters. Yes there will be additional Epilogue chapters to help set up Arc 2. 
> 
> It's 6 am at time or writing this chapter note. Any misspellings of names and stuff will be fixed later.
> 
> Also, I'm attempting to finish this arc before the 1 year anniversary, if not, I'm aiming to finish it next month (in b4 Blizzcon 2018 adjusts thing again XDD)

The mission doesn’t happen as soon as expected. They hoped to have had it done in September, but it was now halfway through October. Lucio’s tour would finish in a few days, meaning that they could finally proceed. In the interim, everyone had been training or preparing in some way. Liao had been training Sombra, Chase and Lynx how to defend themselves and how to fight in hardened combat situations. Genji had been continuing Ame and Sachi’s training. Katya continued her duties, though protected by Lynx, Zarya and Ivan. Fareeha and Ana decided to completely catch up, especially when Samuel suddenly show up out of the blue. He was surprised at Ana’s survival but grateful that he could once again see his wife.

Bastion had worked up the courage to meet with other reformed military units and begins to learn Omnic Sign Language. Like himself, the reformed omnics were fascinated with odd things, such as art or music. Some worked in constructor or other labor jobs or defense to help keep the borders secure.

Junkrat somehow got dragged into a Mechanic’s workshop with Roadhog. Junkrat often complained but it keept him busy and out of trouble. Roadhog was just glad that the younger man was not just sitting around useless. On occasion, he helped out at a local florist shop as he found it rather therapeutic.

Angela had spent her time studying studying the Talon SEP serum. While the Strikers were very warry of outsiders, she’d been welcomed by the community in exchange for her medical knowledge and services. While some supplies and resources are lacking, she’d able to help restore some of the medical services offered in the community.

Which was lucky for Mei.

For someone who had been 2 months pregnant before she found out, she was doing remarkably well. Prenatal vitamins were still hard to come by in their current location, but Liao had been making sure everyone’s diet  was  -for the most part- balanced to make up for it. She was now about 4 months pregnant and beginning to show it. Angela wasn’t an expert, but a Pediatric named Kelly Smith lived in the community and helped out with any pregnancy in the Striker community.

“So the baby is developing normally. Judging by the heart, it’s strong and their systems are functioning well. Any health concerns from either side of the family?”

“Not from mine.” Mei shook her head. “Well, nothing that could impact fetal development…Angela did Lee discuss with you…?”

“He said in his family, it typically affected the mother in terms of fetal development, but there is a history with sudden and unexplained drops in heart rate. That typically stops after birth, unless certain activities are participated in.”

“Arrhythmia?”

“No, he was checked by Singaorean medical professionals and myself.”

“So it’s not bradyarrhythmias either?”

“No nothing like that.” Angela and Mei exchanged a look. “He can willingly slow or even stop his heart.”

There was a pause. Then, “What?”

“I have observed on occasion that he can lower his heartrate, effectively fooling machines and most other methods of checking for a pulse. He typically does it by doing some kinds of meditation.”

“And that presents itself in children?”

“We think it’s some kind of defense mechanism caused by the brain, especially in stressful situations.” Angela explained. “The only exception being when he’s put under the effects of certain anesthetics.  They tend to hit him a little harder, but they also make him more aggressive while he fights them off. One particular type makes it difficult for him to breathe.”

“Is he at risk of heart failure because of this?”

“No.” Both women answered as the Smith wrote down a few things, still listening to the heartbeat of the fetus. “He has an implant to help prevent his heart from completely shutting down if it falls too low.”

“If I may ask, what is his name?”

“Liao Lee.” Mei replied.

“The man who invented all those implants and the eye prosthetics? Not to mention those combat Mechs used throughout Asia?” Smith’s mouth gaped for a bit. “How many Overwatch agents are hiding within our borders?”

“Can’t say.” Angela grinned. Smith sighed and read between the lines.

“But he’s here?”

“He’s been with me since mid-June when we reunited in Lijang.” Smith shook her head.

“You didn’t know you were pregnant?”

“I was in cyrostasis for 9 years. My cycle was thrown out of whack. I had become highly irregular. My hypothesis is that the longer one is frozen for, the more unbalanced one’s body becomes. As of now, I suspect that that’s one of the side effects of cyrostasis…. Now whether it’s long or short term, I have no idea.” Mei offered. “It also means that I can’t accurately judge if it would affect one’s fertility.”

Smith raised an eyebrow. “Well the child is far enough along that I can tell the gender. Would you like to know?”

Mei hesitated and looked to Angela. Angela looked back. “Your call.”

“Can you hand me my coms please Angela?” Mei asked nervously. Angela passed the device over and waited for Mei to set herself up.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to raise Lee.” Mei smirked. “Spectral Savior, this is Whiteout. Do you read over?”

_{“Spectral Savior, reading you loud and clear. What’s up?”}_

 “Is the Channel secure? I have information you may want to know. ”

 _{“Stand By.”}_ There was a pause before Liao returned. _{“Com Channel is running on Secure Blackwatch Frequency. Additional encryption is provided by Athena, Sombra and Lynx. All of them are giving us our privacy for this. What’s up?”}_

“Our child is far enough along to determine the gender. Did you… did you want to know.”

 _{“Please.”}_ Liao’s rapid reply came.

“Alright. A moment please.” Smith smiled as she fiddled with the computer. Mei let out a breath.

_{“By the way Mei, I’ve done a bit of digging…. Not sure if you know.”}_

“Know? What about my family?” Mei snorted. “All I know is that my mother’s still alive in Beijing somewhere. Yours?”

_{“My father died three years ago and my mother is still alive but under protection. My Cousin’s still alive too… She’s going to kill me when she finds out I’m actually alive. My question is, should we notify them?”}_

“It may be a good idea.” Mei nodded.

“Alright,” Smith said looking up. “If you two are ready?”

“Sorry, we’re ready.” Came the combined replies of both Mei and Liao.

“It appears that you two are expecting a healthy baby girl. If estimates are right… I’d say you conceived around June 24th and have an expected delivery date of April 2nd to 9th.”

 _{“Sounds about right. We were doing a lot of catching up around that period.”}_ Liao admitted after a few minutes of silence.

"I can tell there's going to be a lot of discussions about a name.” Angela chuckled.

“It was already decided in Gibraltar actually.” Mei chuckled. “We deiced on Liao Lan for a daughter and Liao Bently for a son.”

 _{“Good thing it’s a girl, because there was no way I would let you name a child Bently.”}_ Liao growled much to Mei’s amusement.

“Clearly Lee though up of Lan.” Angela laughed. “Thank you again Kelly. If you’d like I can stay at the clinic for a while to help out.”

“That would be appreciated.”

“I’ll see if I can find Bridgett and Bastion. They should be a block down right?” Mei asked rejoicing as the cold gel was wiped off her middle.

“Yeah. Something about those bunkers.” Angela supplied. “Bridgett finished that armor of hers at last. That at least gave me peace of mind.”

“Thanks Angela.”

______________________________________

As it had turned out, Bridgett and Bastion had not found a bunker. Instead, they had however found a decent party of militarized omnics hidden in a local Junk yard. They were more than kind enough to lead Bastion and a few other members of Overwatch to the now abandoned waterways between the Striker’s main settlement and the next town where an even larger group resided. Bridgett however returned to the base to prepare.

The mission was simple. Go to Brazil and help Lucio make a hit on the Vishkar and see if they could get any hardlight technology. The team was Composed of Liao, chase, Bridgett and Lucio once they arrived. Chase had been prepared for days, instead spending her time training her senses and abilities for the upcoming fight between herself and Jarrett, the now defacto tyrannical leader of the Strikers. He had changed their laws, their governing system…. Everything. Gone was their council governing system, gone was the support for smaller areas. In was a new protocol to challenge leadership if you had a problem.

He’d all but spat in her face when she had arrived to the Striker Arena seeking answers. She had been a part of the Strikers before he had and had helped the community grow since its birth. There was no need for her to have to earn her place amongst their ranks. This had angered several smaller groups who were now lending their support to The Challengers.

The break in support had led to many facilities playing favorites. Many people complained that “The Leaky Lounge”, “M-Tram” and “Gentlemen Hicks” were being picky towards their patrons. Among the facilities that pulled support were “Vision Realities”, a band of college graduates who were working on new neural interfaces.

It was a fun test drive as for the first time in history, people were able to experience the world through another’s mind. Sombra, Amalie, And Jack were able to strap the devices onto their heads and necks and relax while they watched the world through Chase’s eyes. Everything she smelled or heard, every sensation, every breath…. They felt everything as she ran through the dense forest with Lisa, both shifting from human to hybrid and back again.

Sombra had always asked Chase what it was like to shift, but she had never fully understood it. But with the Neural Interface, she had felt it the sensation felt weird, as if things under her skin had shifted and changed, feeling things rearrange themselves. The wraith like smoke that Chase emitted fad always felt at room temperature like Gabe’s had, but to Chase, it felt cool and soothing, akin to walking through the fog of a fog machine.

But there was something else. Unlike the others, Sombra had her own Neural implants. That in turn gave the Graduates more data to work with, allowing Sombra to intimately link with the Hybrid’s own mind. The sensations intensified, the neural interfaces allowing one another to communicate and understand one another thoughts and minds on a level they never thought possible.

However after the test drive, the Hybrids needed a lot of R&R to recover their strength, especially Chase. With the Mission hours away, Sombra knew what had to be done to help her girlfriend prepare. Unfortunately, it required a lot of food.

“Sometimes, I can’t if I should be amazed, grossed out or turned on.” The hacker sighed as she watched her girlfriend polish off a box of chicken strips. “You’re like Tracer, but worse.”

“Blame my metabolism.” Chase managed, forcing some food into her cheek like a chipmunk. “It’s so much worse now after Moira put her hands on me.”

Sombra shook her head, watching her girlfriend swallow the food. The woman had eaten a whole 10 inch Pizza, a few garlic fingers, a box of chicken strips and two helpings of Chinese food – “Why go for take out, you could have asked me!” Liao had chuckled- along with at least two milkshakes and a performance drink. “Seriously, it’s like you have a black hole for a stomach sometimes!”

“Olivia, think about it. I’m a human animal hybrid, a hybrid made up of several predator species. The fact that I have human level mental functions and I stand tall enough to look Roadhog and Rien in the eye when in said form clearly needs the calories.” Chase got up to wash the sauce off her hands. “That smoke thing burns a LOT of energy, even when done quickly. Rest assured, I can only eat as much as I do, because I’m always burning off calories. Before being turned, I wouldn’t have eaten half as much as I did.”

“Still!” Olivia smirked as she sat on the bed to work, her oversized shirt riding up slightly but still covering her panties. “I don’t think I could ever keep you fed.”

“Nah, I have faith in you.” Chase called, going to brush her teeth. “You’d find a way.”

“Yeah, maybe if I cooked next to my abuela.” The hacker sighed, mumbling something in Spanish before pulling up a few hollow windows. Chase couldn’t tell exactly what she had said, but she did hear the word Omnic in there somewhere.

“You okay Ollie?” Chase poked her head out.

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine.” The woman sighed again looking out the window at the falling rain and the steaming windows. The water stopped and there was the click of a light before Sombra felt the bed sink down as the shifter moved in behind her.

“You don’t seem fine. Do you want to talk about it?” Sombra looked up as the taller woman sat in behind her, wrapping her arms around her. An odd yet creepy thing they discovered, was that although she couldn’t see in the dark in her human form, her eyes still glowed when they caught light, very much like a cat’s or a dog’s. Because of the purple and lilac light of the Holoscreens, the glow in Chase’s eyes looked like a blue-purple.

The color seemed to suit her.

“It’s a long story… It’s just that I miss my family. Something like the omnic crisis has a real effect on people, you know?” Sombra snuggled back into her, checking over a few things on her screens. “Especially when you’re a kid and you lose your whole familia.”

“You forget that I lost my dad in the crisis.” Chase mumbled. “I know the feeling.”

“Your dad was an Overwatch agent.”

“It’s still a loss. I mean, losing a parents isn’t like losing your entire fuckin’ family, but… I kinda know what it’s like.” Chase sighed.

“I never told you about them.” Sombra smiled, her one somewhat biter as she pulled up a photo. “See, that was my mami, she was good friends with Alejandra’s mother. She was an artist, and a damn good one. Papi was a banker. He was a gentle giant, used to pick us up and swing us around. Lupe was 15, he wanted to work on computers and stuff and he taught me how to hack. I got really good at it.”

“His name kind of sounds like loup, like the French word for wolf. Or the English name Lou.” Chase noticed.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.” Sombra pointed out another small boy. “That was Antonio. He was two years older than me. He loved animals and wanted to be a vet one day. Then my abuela, the best damn cook I’ve ever met. She taught me how to cook and I was helping her ever since I could walk and talk. I remember that before the crisis, she said she wanted to have a little sun-room or a little place where she could grow small vegetables and peppers and stuff. The omnic crisis started the week before we were to begin construction on her little greenspace. She was the last to be killed. I stayed with her until the light faded from her eyes.”

Chase let out a high picked whine, so high that Sombra only heard the hint of it. She could tell her girlfriend wanted to comfort her. “There were a lot of angry orphans after the crisis, and not every country was prepared to deal with it. I learned early on that my value was based off of what I could offer, so I made sure to be the best hacker out there. It was hard to form relationships after that, especially after the Conspiracy found me.”

“Yeah, I remember you saying that you dated two others before me, a man and a woman, but you couldn’t bond or click with them like you did with me.” Chase recalled, nuzzling her neck.

“Yeah, because you cared about who I was, not about what I could do.” She pointed out. “You’re not like the others.”

Chase chuckled. “I try… Do you want me to hold you?”

“Please. I’d appreciate the comfort right now.” The hacker nodded laying down with the shifter, letting the taller keep her arms wrapped around her. “When do you leave?”

“Around 4:30, 5am?” Chase shrugged. “At least 12 hours. Why, you don’t want me to go?”

“Kind of. I’m worried. I’m worried about what you may run into.” Olivia’s head turned. “Or rather who.”

“I’ll be fine, we have a good team.”

“I hope so.”

 

“This complex is huge.” Brigitte whistled. “There’s no way we’re going to get into this place easy.”

“Sure we will.” Lucio pushed his visor up off his face. “My skates can ride walls, Liao here can parkour, Chase can do that smoke thing-”

“And I can’t do any of that.” The Swede leaned back in her seat, looking at the Hologram. “… Unless I adjust my Whipshot just a bit and use it as a grappling hook.”

“There ya go.” Chase chuckled. “What worries me though is what we may encounter inside. You said there’s been a lot of Talon in the area lately.”

“Yeah, they’ve kept this place on a heavy lockdown.” Lucio drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s taken a while to probe it without getting caught.”

“Well, I am still technically a Talon hunter. I can take out a few.” Liao smirked, gazing at them through his visor. “The route however may cause a bit of an issue and I doubt Lotus will be so willing to give me information on them or their bases.”

“Who?” The three younger agents looked up.

“He was our security chief back in the day. I got him out of prison when I proved that he was innocent of the bullshit charges they put on him. Ironically, he’s a master thief.” Liao laughed. “We needed an expert opinion.”

“Still, you let a thief into the higher ranks of Overwatch?” Lucio exclaimed, floored by the admission. Liao tapped a hidden button on the side of his visor, the shatterproof glass popping up off his face automatically.

“We let Genji wipe out almost the entire Shimada clan, Jesse has a rapsheet that should have kept his ass in jail, Moira was recruited despite breaking ethics with her research… Need I go on?” Liao rhymed off, ticking off his fingers as he counted. “Also technically you’re a thief too since you stole your amplifier from the Vishkar.”

“If you want to play technicalities, my father made the tech for this. The Vishkar stole it for themselves.” Lucio hefted his amplifier. “So technically, I’m not in the wrong for taking back my property.”

“He has a point. It’s not stealing if you’re taking your property back from someone who stole it.” Chase shrugged. “Provided it’s not from the government and depending on where you live I guess.”

“We can argue semantics all day long. We’re here for a mission.” Liao cleared his throat as he tried to get the tactics meeting back on track. “Now we received intelligence that one of the Vishkar’s agents is starting to question the status quo. Sanjay isn’t too happy with it, but somehow, he’s able to get her to comply and go along with what the company wants.”

“She’s got a real attitude.” Lucio crossed his arms and gave an annoyed sigh. “Like saying people aren’t meant for greatness, being trapped in their own reality and shit.”

“Matter of perspective?” Chase got up. “It could explain why she’s going along with plans but questioning others.”

“Who knows?” Brigitte shook her head, looking to the other three agents.  “What if we try to recruit her and she turns us down?”

“We go to plan B.” Chase smirked before letting out a yawn.

“We have a plan B?” Liao looked at the younger woman, holding back a smirk. "I knew there was a reason why I liked you." 

“Yup. Sombra?”

 _{“Hola.”}_ Sombra’s voice crackled over the coms, as a vid window popped up. _{“Ok so, the Vishkar has loads of dirty laundry and little secrets that would make them look bad if they got out. I think she suspects this already, but if we go to plan B, I can use them as proof. She’s already questioning what she’s doing and if it’s right, so if she sees the whole truth she may be more willing to join us.”}_

“This is why I don’t deal with business directly… Too much corruption and political bullshit.” Liao muttered. “And then I have to go behind and try to clean up the shit my company’s doing.”

“Regardless, if she turns that down it will be a shame but we tried.”

 _{“By the way, we had a call from Winston. Apparently we do have a few more recruits on our side now and Junkertown has officially sided with us. Speaking of, The Junkerqueen called and asked us to keep an eye out for a Scrapyard fighter called Wrecking Ball. They thought he’d be back for the upcoming season, but he and his Mech are nowhere to be found.”}_ Sombra rattled off. _{“I forwarded and image of the mech to you, but no one knows what the pilot looks like. Not even Junkrat or Roadhog.”}_

“Cool.” Chase transferred the call to her coms, strapping a device to the armor on her forearm so the holoscreen followed her. “Oh, what about the Bunker situation?”

_{“We have several hundred Bastions and other omnic units who are confused but our Bastion managed to get them on outside. We’re retrofitting them at some point, but we’ll need Brigitte’s help. For now, they’re becoming battle ready.”}_

_{“You expect trouble then.”}_ Winston’s voice rumbled as he joined the call.

_{“Si. Talon’s acting a bit weird and they’re both trying to keep things hush hush but also getting really active. I Tapped into the info guilds and such and it’s messy. I’ll need a few hours to  go through everything.”}_

_{“Meanwhile I managed to catch a transmission, as did other places in the world. Someone’s transmitting something from the moon.”}_ Winson’s face looked worried. _{“I doubt it’s any of the scientists, but someone’s broadcasting an SOS. Unless China or someone snuck up there It only leaves some of the other test subjects.”}_

“Sombra.” Chase’s tone turned serious as they left the ship. “Talon maybe finally making their move or they may be putting the final touches on their plans. We need to make a plan and accelerate it. If they’re going to cause a second Global omnic crisis we need to be ready.”

“That takes time.” Liao chimed in from beside the woman. “Time we don’t have.”

“Then we put everyone on alert and we watch things carefully. Korea’s been extremely quiet since that incident, Talon’s acting super shifty, Russia’s starting to see a lull in omnics they’re facing and Omnic tensions are rising. I say Talon’s moving, especially since they know we’re active.” Chase checked her weapon.

“Lynx, Message the members of Lion Force, and use my old codes. Start preparations at the company buildings as well. It will expose me as being in hiding all these years, but I think it’s worth it. Besides, select members of my government knows I’m alive and in hiding.”

 _{“I’ll activate code Gray over the Overwatch Coms. I’ll Move to code gold if things kick off.”}_ Winston started, seeing Liao shake his head.

“Re-merge all Blackwatch and Overwatch warning codes. Use Code Alpha Black. Omnic Crisis code.” Liao started typing on his techpad. “I sent my authorization as acting Blackwatch commander. You’re acting Strike commander big guy. You have to do the rest.”

 _{“This is it then… Liao I do warn you, If we have to Activate anything over Code Gray, The UN will be notified.”}_ Winston warned.

“You should have prepared for that when you issued the recall.” Liao countered. “But to be fair, they’ve done fuck all about Talon. So from my point of view, fuck the UN and fuck the Petras act. They brought this on themselves.”

 _{“Are you serious?”}_ Morrison’s voice thundered down the coms. _{“It’s bad enough that we’re active now, bringing us back isn’t going to help a damn thing.”}_

“Times change Morrison. The UN’s gone and fucked themselves and eventually they’ll turn to us or another group and it will be Overwatch all over again. We might as well act now and do the right thing.” Liao countered. “You want out, then leave. I’m not going to sit around and watch my country burn or suffer in another Omnic Crisis, especially not one started by Talon!”

“I thought our elders were supposed to be wise and give us hope, something to fight for. To inspire us and show us to fight when history repeats itself.” Chase scoffed, aiming a glare at the holoscreen. “Guess not.”

There was silence on the coms Before Jacks’ blue eyes narrowed in a glare. _{“Listen, I was fighting this war before you were born. Don’t you dare preach to me about history repeating itself or giving hope.”}_

“I’m not having this conversation on a mission Morrison. I need focus, not anger and distraction.” Chase fired back. “It takes balls to revive an outlawed, disbanded organization and it takes the same amount to join the fight and help bring people back to fight against the inevitable. Each new generation sees a tragedy of some kind, and it’s them that has to make a stand and fight back and move forward. We all have our ways, and in case you haven’t noticed, the younger Generations are looking up to people we would have recruited, and people have hope. We can be a symbol of that again if we try Jack. You may have lost hope in Overwatch, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has.”

Chase ended the call, exhaling lightly and waving a hand subconsciously, seeing a gold reflection in her armor. “I got more riled up than I thought.”

“Nah, I’d call that being passionate.” Lucio shrugged, keeping pace. “But you’re right. We need a symbol of hope, and it is a good idea to be united. Old man doesn’t get it.”

“He does, but after an Organization is dragged through the mud and its reputation tarnished, you get jaded. You lose hope.” Brigitte corrected, working on her flail as they marched. “Papa’s the same way. He doesn’t want me getting involved with Reinhardt’s path, but he knows he can’t stop me. I wanted to protect Reinhardt, but protecting others is just as important. Even if he falls, I’ll carry on doing what he would have… mind you in a smarter way.”

 “You’re the new generation of Crusaders. You carry on their legacy.” Chase chuckled, pausing when she saw Liao smirking. “What’s so funny?”

“You know, I liked you the moment we met and fought together. You have spunk and a strong moral code.” The man smiled waving a hand and watching his lions run ahead.  “You have conviction, courage, empathy and determination. You’re willing to do things if they help others. What you said to Morrison was wordy, but you drove the point home.”

“What are you saying? Like, you see her as a model soldier or something?” Lucio asked curiously watching the Singaporean shake his head.

“I’m saying that Chase is leadership material.” Liao rolled his shoulders and cracked his back, looking to Chase. “If I had any say, I’d want you as one of the new leading members. You’ve got a good head on you.”

“Oh fuck off really?” Chase shook her head. “Look, I’m just fighting back against Talon and helping you guys get back up off the ground. I’m not suited for Overwatch.”

“I doubt that.” Liao flipped his visor back down. “Now keep up to Uncle Liao kids. We have a mission to take care of.”

_____________________________

Getting into the base was a bit harder than expected. Regular guards were posted outside, but as Liao pointed out, there were Talon soldiers hidden just inside, ready to pounce on anyone caught breaking in. The small team had resolved to instead climb atop some taller buildings and parkour their way over the walls. So their surprise, Liao was able to hop many gaps with ease with his gear. They began to wonder if he had practiced with his gear, if it was a medium armor build or a combination of the two. The Lions mad also clear the gaps effortlessly, turning to watch as the other three crossed the gap as well.

“Surprised they don’t have cameras up here.” Liao pondered. “Sombra? Lynx?”

 _{“None, at least not at your height. Security has been beefed up recently too, your plan’s practically gone out the window.”}_ Sombra mumbled, clearly in the middle of having a midnight snack. Chase licked her lips, feeling hungry.

“Damn it. Smart move by Talon to take out Gérard.” Liao cursed lowly in Chinese for added effect.

“Let me guess, he would have been on this like white on rice?” Chase asked, crouching and looking over the edge of the wall. Behind her, Lucio snorted as Liao grinned.

“You had to save that line for when I was around didn’t you?” The man snickered watching the realization slowly dawn on the woman. “Yes he would have been.”

“That had no racial connotations and you know it. Asshole.” Chase huffed, exhaling a slight puff of purple-black smoke as the man struggled to keep his laughter quiet. On his coms, Mei was busy cackling as well.

“I know, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give you shit.” He grinned. “Anyway, there’s an alternate route yes?”

 _{“Yeah, but it’s going to take longer.”}_ Lynx stated sending something to Liao’s visor. _{“You’ll end up in a storage depot and there’s medium security in there. But it’s also a bit of a wide open space. Cover isn’t optimal. On the ground at least. Catwalks are better but lead to a maze of corridors and rooms.”}_

“I’ll take it, as long as it gets us inside.” Liao motioned stalking forward. “Chase, how good are your senses in either form?”

“I can see better than average in the dark as a human, otherwise I’m blind as a bat. In Hybrid form, I have full night vision like any other predator.” Lucio and Brigitte noticed the whites of her eyes had turned a dark grey, the green-gold of her eyes really popping. “Hearing, smelling wise, I’m at half my hybrid capacity right now. Much better than a human’s but worse than any of the animals that make up my genetic make-up.” The “new” went unsaid.

“Good, stay frosty. We may need those senses yet.”

“Copy that.”

“Hey Chase, Why do your eyes do that weird thing? Like your eyes look creepy at times.” Brigitte asked, watching the woman tilt her head. “Sometimes the whites turn black, your eyes look more gold, light reflects, stuff like that.”

“Well, it has to do with the genetic make-up. In hybrid form the whites of my eyes turn black and in human form, my moods kind of cause a bleed through shift… Like I start showing visible traits of my hybrid form. It’s why my teeth look more carnivorous and sharp in human form and only look sharper as I shift.” Chase mused waving a hand in front of her collar again before stuffing the indicator into the collar of her armor. “As for the gold showing up more in my eyes, I never realized they do that. My eyes were always Greenish gold, but Moira’s procedure made the gold show up a lot stronger.”

 _{“I can answer that.”}_ Sombra came over the coms. _{“The pigment in her eyes comes through more depending on her mood, stress and other factors. If her eyes are more gold than green, then it means she’s aroused.”}_

“What?” Chase paused mid step, watching Liao shush her.

_{“I wish I was kidding, but I’m actually serious. Your eyes are rather gold when you’re horny Mi Cazadora. Look in a mirror next time your horny, you’ll see that I’m telling the truth.”}_

“Can we talk about this later?” Chase hissed, turning red. “I’m on a mission here babe.”

“Your eyes have been rather gold lately, oh my god.” Brigitte wheezed. “It makes so much sense now. Especially after your surgery.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Chase replied in a forced whisper. “Liao’s up there trying to unhear this shit.”

“I actually am to be brutally honest.” He nodded, twiddling his thumbs as they walked closer to the main building. “Hearing you and Sombra on the coms was one thing-”

“Okay shut up, you’re taking the piss now.” Chase’s face was blood red. “Where’s that Emergency exit?”

“Just up ahead.” Liao snorted as she brushed past. To their surprise, it was unguarded ad led onto a cat walk. The room was dark, baby blue lights lighting the area below them. “This is odd.”

 _{“It normally has alarms but I disabled them.”}_ Sombra confirmed. _{“But there’s something that isn’t right.”}_

“Look down there.” Brigitte pointed. They all looked down and saw rows upon rows of children and preteens, all standing and looking ahead at something. “What’s going on down there?”

“A speech.” Chase said, leaning over the railing to hear. “Sounds like they’re taking these kids in from poverty and offering them a better chance at life.”

“Some life… being brainwashed to accept a corporation’s ideals and live by them. No wonder these sick bastards are able to pass off their rhetoric.” Lucio swore, looking over the rows and rows of kids.

“A message can be twisted and slanted however one wants before being presented to a child, and a child no matter how naïve will buy it, especially it given enough time and reinforcement.” Liao muttered darkly.

“A child trusts those in authority and will do what they think that person wants, giving that person more power over them if they seek it. That affords them immunity in some cases, allowing people to commit worse things like abuse and other heinous crimes.” Chase added, speaking from experience. “And that’s how the Vishkar gets them, by obscuring the truth and letting the ‘we helped you, now you owe us and will repay us by doing as we say’ go unsaid.”

“Fuck…” Brigitte shook her head. “There’s a lot of messed up people in the world. Real sick people.”

Chase sniffed the air, suddenly going rigid and growling. “Hybrids. Stay alert.”

“How many?” Liao’s head snapped up, unlatching his rifle off the magnetic pads on his his back.

“Two. Two males. I know them.” Chase’s lips pulled back, baring her teeth as the hint of smoke drifted lazily off her body. “One I may be able to dominate…. Or turn…. God we need to find a new term for when I make them switch sides.”

_{“Agreed.”}_

“The other is a problem. Ryan would fight for dominance but I may be able to subdue him.” Chase’s eyes locked on something, her snarl deepening. Looking up across the catwalks, The team saw two pairs of glowing eyes, one a hazel green and the other almost orange in the light. Below them in the dark shone a pair of gleaming white fangs. The two hybrids snarled a warning, inching forward pausing when Chase snarled back, eyes black and Green, smoke beginning to billow off of her.

“Chase… Lead them away from here. Our cover will be blown.” Brigitte warned, seeing the woman begin to hunch, her face beginning to distort through the smoke.

“Find Vaswani and try to recruit her. Leave these fucks to me.” Chase’s distorted and strained voice came beneath the guttural growl. “I’ll be the distraction.”

“Sombra where is she? Find her.” Liao ordered, leading Brigitte and Lucio away. Chase’s body rippled, as smoke surrounded her as she shifted and stood on her hind legs, armor clicking out of place to accommodate her larger Frame.

 _“/You shouldn’t have returned Hunter. You know you can’t take us both./”_ Ryan stepped forward, laughing as well as a Hybrid could. Behind him David’s ears drooped a bit, tail twitching in apprehension.

 _“/You haven’t faced me since I started shifting. Don’t underestimate me./”_ Chase’s whiskers twitched as she growled. _“/Why do you still work for Talon? They don’t care for you. You’re a means to an end for them. Once you’re outlived your purpose they’ll kill you./”_

 _“/Because they gave me purpose./”_ Ryan snarled loudly, drawing the gazes of many children to the cat walks above. _“/They believe in me, in a way no one else has./”_

 _“/They tell you what you want to hear so you’ll stay loyal to them!/”_ Chase roared back drawing everyone’s attention to the catwalks above their heads.   _“/They want an attack dog. Once they’re done getting you hunt down their enemies, they’ll have you attacking innocent civilians. Is that what you want?/”_

 _“/I don’t have to listen to you!/”_ Ryan leapt at Chase, his form turning to smoke as he tried to bridge the gap. Chase was faster however, leaping and colliding with him in midair and sending them both to the ground below. The kids screamed and scattered, The Talon soldiers aimed their weapons while the Vishkar reps took several steps back. The two Hybrids circled each other, clawing and biting at one another, trying to force the other to submit. Whirling around and looking over Ryan’s shoulder, she saw a familiar face standing at the podium dressed in blue and gold.

“Liao! She’s here! Get down here!” Chase forced out, her throat feeling raw from using her human voice in her hybrid form. “Stay away from the Hybrids. You can’t take them!”

_{“Shit! We were headed to her private quarters where her coms were. Heading back.”}_

_“/Your friends can’t take us. You’re right about that./”_ Ryan laughed as David hopped down, still looking nervous. _“/Kill her./”_

David whined and backed away. _“/So you’re a coward now too bitch?/”_ Ryan turned on the smaller Hybrid, allowing Chase to strike. Fur flew as Chase’s claws raked over Ryan’s unprotected stomach, her eyes wild with anger as she grabbed hold of the beast and threw him.

 _“/Chase?/”_ David’s oddly feminine tones drew Chase’s attention. _“/You’re really here…./”_

Chase Snorted in Ryan’s direction. _“/Your leader?/”_

 _“/He’s no leader of mine./”_ David responded, tail swishing nervously as Ryan got up, fur bristling, tail thrashing and ears erect in challenge. Gulping, David turned to face Ryan, fangs bared. _“/An alpha will kill for their pack, and thus a pack will kill for their Alpha. He has not done so, so neither will I./”_

 _“/Traitor!!/”_ Ryan roared, his mouth opening as wide as it could. The air shattered as the eerie and terrifying roaring howl echoed through the atrium. Chase threw her head back, the Hybrid’s call reaching a much louder volume, Her muscles tensing as her stance became aggressive and akin to a ‘come at me bro’! David responded to her call, fangs flashing as he joined his new friend.

Ryan charged, watching David bolt to the side, as Chase turned tail and retreated. Ryan was locked, his first worry was to take out Chase. But in his bloodlust, he made a crucial mistake. Chase had trained against and watched David fight before Sombra had helped her escape, and she knew that David fought smart, instead of relying on pure brute strength.

So it was to his surprise when David came seemingly out of nowhere and knocked him off his feet. Ryan was sent sprawling, scrambling to get his legs back under him. Before he could however, a clawed paw applied pressure to his spine and forced him down, his wrists grabbed as his arms were forced behind his back. He looked behind himself, watching the smaller Hybrid trying to wrangle him. Ryan roared in frustration, uttering death threats while thrashing.

Just as David began to lose his grip a dark brown furred Hybrid jumped ontop of Ryan’s head, one arm wrapping around his neck, a clawed hand grabbing his snout and clamping it shut as two rows of teeth closed around the back of his neck. Ryan froze, aware of the silent threat to snap his neck or choke him out. He snarled defiantly to egg the female on, instead flinching when Chase roared while David joined her once again.

Chase slowly eased off, lips pulling back in a snarl as she nodded to David. Ryan looked back, seeing both Hybrids baring their fangs, tails thrashing and ears erect and pointed at him. He replied in kind hearing two loud snarls before he realized what they were doing.

Chase wasn’t preparing to kill him, she was dominating and allowing him a chance to join her, while her and David made him aware of his place in the pecking order.  He snarled louder displeased with being the Omega and instead snapping at David receiving a deep slash to his jaw and shoulder.

On the stage, Symmetra flinched, frozen in place at the savage creatures and the Talon soldiers forming a ring around them, guns drawn. Her eyes were locked at the three beasts in front of her, her gaze unblinking as though in a trance.

Realizing it was futile to fight back, her lowered his head and rumbled lowly in his throat, ears angling back and his tail becoming still as he submitted. The two let him up completely, their snarls slowly fading as he stood, glaring at Chase. _“/It’s a mistake letting the runt rank higher than me. What a weak pack./”_

 _“/Weak?/”_ Chase laughed, looking around as the Talon Soldiers trained their guns on them _. “/We’ll see what Lisa has to say about that. But we’ll deal with that later. We have these fuckers to deal with./”_

Before the soldiers could act, the Hybrids leapt into action. It was at that moment That Chase was aware of music playing over one of the background channels. All she knew was that it loud, Japanese, sounded like metal and had a word that sounded vaguely like “Headbang”.

 _{“Liao, I wasn’t aware you listened to Babymetal.”}_ Hanzo said sounding amazed.

 _{“Let’s just say a certain_ _omnic_ _Hong Konger I’m close friends with is a Metal head, and a Japanese friend of his got him into them.”}_ Liao cried over the music and gunfire. _{“Sometimes I fight better with music, and Madds has good taste.”}_

 _{“Good times.”}_ Genji laughed. _{“Excluding the bit where your chest practically got blown apart.”}_

 _{“Don’t remind me. On a side note, that bitch finally got what was coming to her.}_ Liao swore loudly as the sound of Brigitte’s flail soared over his head. _{“Jiù zhǔ, Yōulíng! Head back down that way. We need to get down there. Lucio we need a Boost!”}_

_{“You got it, just tell me exactly when.”}_

_{“It’s a bloody warzone down there!”}_ Brigitte cried looking down for a moment, her shield up as Lee reloaded. _{“Shit they’re savage!”}_

_{“They could give Madds a run for his money that’s for sure. Now! Let’s go!”}_

Meanwhile the Talon soldiers were struggling to keep the Hybrids occupied. With David’s smart combat style, Ryan’s brute strength and Chase’s quick coordination, she was able to communicate tactics to the others all without the soldiers catching on. With a quick combination of shifting, bullets, and savage animalistic attacks the three were making quick work of the soldiers.

“Incoming!” Chase ducked at a black and blue blur flew overhead with a whoop. “Parkour bitches!”

“You’re in your late 40s! How can you keep that shit up!?” Lucio cried out in amazement, aiming his amplifier at a few soldiers. “Boop!”

“Don’t question his methods! He’s an-” Chase began as she shifted back to a human, however a bright blue beam slowed her, her body tingling as though she’d been burned. She roared in pain, reforming as a hybrid again as she backed away. On the podium with an odd looking gun –that somewhat reminded her of a portal gun from the same game- was Sanjay Korpal. Symmetra finally broke out of her trance and turned to her employer. “Sanjay!”

“So Overwatch is stooped this low?” the man tsked as he pointed the gun. “And you had to bring the freak. That was a mistake.”

“The only mistake was on your mother’s part.” Lee’s gaze narrowed. “She should have swallowed.”

Sanjay frowned, a shiver running down his spine as his anger peaked, making him roll his head slightly. “If you were within range….”

“Which is why I’m not.” Liao growled back aiming at Sanjay. “Friendly reminder, I’m still technically a Talon Hunter and with you being one of the Talon council leading members, you’d be a big profile kill. Especially with all the blood you have on your hands.”

“You’re one to talk Liao Lee.” Sanjay scoffed. “Went underground after Reyes and you fought, only to start hunting us. I heard he did quite the number on your eyes.”

“It took me a while to adjust to the design, but then I embraced it. I knew that the look would haunt my enemies. Besides, it’s a reminder to our old pals who defected… I know you guys would take anyone, especially if you dangle the right carrot in front of them.” Liao’s finger twitched slightly, against the trigger. “Give Moira her funding, give Reyes the power and the lack of red tape to do as he wished… and if you couldn’t dangle a carrot, you’d have the threat of the whip, a form of control. Brainwash Amalie, remind Sombra of what could be a threat to her… Were you going to try those tactics on Vaswani too?”

Symmetra’s head snapped towards Sanjay as the man griped his Photon Projector tighter, gritting his teeth. “Don’t listen to this man Satya. He’s nothing more than a lowly mercenary, a lowly killer. He has more blood on his hands than he cares to admit.”

“Still less than you and Reyes.” Liao admitted. “At least my company doesn’t resort to corporate espionage, the slave labor of citizens to meet their objectives… nor do we require the deaths of the competition to further our goals… But what can you expect when you from someone who wants to start another omnic crisis?”

“Sanjay, I don’t understand.” Symmetra took a step back. “You said… What the Vishkar Corporation was doing would benefit others, you said that we were making the world a better place.”

“We are, but it’s a matter of perspective.” Sanjay admitted, glancing to her. Before he could continue, Lucio chimed in.

“Well then your perspective sucks. Stealing from others, enslaving people…. Causing chaos and destruction in places that are struggling to survive after the horrors of war?” Lucio skated forward a bit, keeping out of range of Sanjay. “The only ones who are benefiting are people like you, you’re making the world a better place for your ideals. If you rely on oppression and fear, then you’re not making the world a better place.”

“And I suppose you know better?” Sanjay’s aim shifted slightly, pointing at the musician. “Think you’re a hotshot because of a little uprising and fame?”

“Hey I know the world ain’t perfect, but it’s all we got, and we need to help each other out.” Lucio shrugged. “Yeah I got money and fame now, but I use it to help others, I give back to my favela. I try to make the world a better place for others, hell even Liao does the same.”

“You’re right Lucio, but there’s no sense in talking to him and making a big speech.” The Singaporean stepped forward, flanked by his lions. “You’re wasting your breath. Their stance is final and they won’t change.”

“Anyone can redeem themselves.” Lucio disagreed. “They just need to make the choice.”

“Not with the instigators of the second Omnic crisis.”

Symmetra exhaled deeply. “Sanjay, is it true. Is another omnic crisis looming in our foreseeable future? Is the Vishkar truly working with Talon? Has everything I’ve been told and stood for been nothing but a lie!?”

Sanjay sighed slowly aiming between Liao, the hybrids and Lucio. “Yes. I had hoped to keep you out of the loop for some time, until Talon was reds you bring you into the fold, but yes, it’s the truth. However, we can still build a better world. It’s what Talon stands for.”

“Then you too have been misled.” Symmetra’s voice was eerily calm. “I refuse to work with an organization that wishes to inflict another tragedy upon the world.”

“As I have said before it’s the price of rebirth!” Sanjay’s head turned to face Symmetra’s. “It is for the best and we will be able to build a better world. Trust me.”

“You have broken that trust.” Symmetra said clearly, backing away so she could leave the stage. “I will not be part of your scheme to manipulate people or their feelings.”

“If that’s so, then you can fall with the rest of Overwatch then.” Sanjay threatened as he took aim at the architect. Before he could take aim however, there was a roar as Chase leapt at him, claws raking into his shoulder as she threw him into a wall. The Photon Projector clattered to the ground in front of him, just within reach. Before he could reach for it however, Lucio booped it away allowing Yōulíng so scoop it up in her jaws.

There was a growl as Chase grabbed him with one hand and held him up off the ground, the claws of her bracer aimed at his chest. “Tell me….” she forced out, her throat sounding raw. “Tell me why you should live. Give me one good reason.”

Sanjay wet his lips, scrambling to come up with a response before Symmetra replied for him as she approached. “He has committed many foul deeds, but that does not justify in his death. Letting him live will speak volumes and will show that you have mercy while supporting what you believe in.”

Chase’s head turned to face the woman before making an annoyed sigh. Dropping the man to his rear, she unbuckled her bracer. Quickly getting to his feet, Sanjay got to his feet. “Satya thank you. I knew you’d be the voice of reason.  I take back what I said earlier about harming you for your ideals and the revelation,. You are free to leave if you so please.”

“Groveling gets you nowhere.” The shifter forced out again. Sanjay turned, a snappy comeback at the ready, but instead of shooting his face off he let out a loud scream as Chase’s claws raked from his hairline to his jaw in a diagonal swipe. He now understood why she took off her bracer. The shifter was right handed and wanted to mar his face without obstruction.

Chase shifted back to her human form as she picked her bracer back up, looking rather tired, her voice raspy from strain as the man writhed and held his face while crying out from the floor. “Let it be known to Talon that I do have mercy, but let it also be known that it’s also a warning…. I may give mercy but it can also be taken away at my will. Next time I will kill you.”

“Satya.” Liao bowed his head before offering his hand. “I can offer you refuge with us should you want it. You will be safe and provided for if you come with us. You are not obligated to join our activities in any way.”

Symmetra paused considering the offer presented to her. “Before I decide on anything, I would like to seek refuge with you, as well as to see any intel you have gathered.”

“Of course. Team, let’s move out!”

___________________________________________________

“Hanna! Mail!”

D.Va rolled her eyes, looking up as Dae-hyun walked into the messhall, holding a package, looking rather tired. “By the way, Tokki’s operational and ready to go. She passed all the tests.”

“Mail for Hanna?” D.Mon teased. “My my, aren’t we popular?”

“You’re just jealous.” D.Va put down her phone. “Where’s it from Dae-hyun?”

“Um… Gibraltar Spain.” Dae-hyun replied, checking the return address. “Private delivery. Someone didn’t want this to be checked by border services.”

“That’s kind of odd.” King said thoughtfully from his beanbag chair. “Don’t open it.”

“I agree.” Overload turned around from his place at the counter. “Especially after the attack?”

“Dae-hyun give it here.” D.Va cried, throwing herself away from her dinner. “I know who that’s from. Remember DK from my streams?”

“Him? Oh yeah! I didn’t know he lived in Spain.” Dae-hyun looked at the Package again. “Yeah it says Harold W. Weird.”

“Is this a secret admirer you haven’t told us about?”D.Mon teased, eyes flicking to the match in progress, which had been suddenly paused by Casino. “Or someone you met in a game and clicked with?”

“No!” D.Va glared at her teammates, tearing into the package with her dinner knife. “He’s a good friend of mine and he’s been talking to me about some of the omnic research he’s conducted. If anything, this is something to do with the Gwishin that attacked when your Mekas were out of commission.”

“If you say so. But really, it’s how it always starts… First he’s your friend then boom, you end up dating the guy.” D.Mon joked seeing the look of utter disgust on D.Va’s face. “What?”

“Just no…” The pilot sighed, her expression turning to one of surprise as she felt inside the bod. She could feed a device and two small circular disks laying in foam. Brushing her thumb across the two disks she felt a familiar insignia. “Oh… my god.”

 “What?”

“Dae-hyun I need to see you in my room… Now.” Hana snapped, pulling her hand out of the box, still looking surprised. “I might have to get a hold of DK if this is what I think it is.”

King laughed. “I think your theory is wrong D.Mon! Just what did you two get up to when we were on leave?”

“Shut up!” Hana cried. “We didn’t do anything!”

Overlord smirked and snuck up on her, grabbing the box out of her hands. “Lemme see. I bet you’re freaking out because it’s scandalous.”

“Hey! Give it back!” Hana lunged, just missing the shorter man. “D.Mon! Help!”

Before D.Mon could hop into action, Dae-hyun grabbed the younger man, stumbling forward and bringing them both to the floor with a crash. The box flew out of Overload’s hands and bounced, knocking the contents out. One disk rolled across the floor before landing insignia side down while the foam, other disk, a note and an odd device slid gracefully out of the box.

King tsked ad got out of his seat, getting up to pick up the contents of the package. He opened his mouth to say something when he looked at the back of the disk. “Dae-hyun, you were expecting something too?”

“What? No… I didn’t even know about the package… H-Hana??”

“It has your name on it. Interesting because….” King flipped the metal disk over, his jaw dropping as he saw the insignia. “Whoa….. Are these custom or… No, you couldn’t have been recruited into Overwatch.”

“What the fuck?” D.mon’s eyes widened as the other Meka Units scrambled for the contents. D.va got to it first, pulling the near identical disk out, noticing her name engraved on the back.

Hana “D.Va” Song.

“Winston… What are you doing..?” The color drained from Hana’s face as she picked up the Note, reading it aloud after she had red it herself.

_Hanna,_

_In case this gets intercepted, I won’t put the full details of what I want to say here. But I will tell you to message me when you’re ready to talk about it. Sombra and Lynx helped arrange this private delivery to help ensure it didn’t._

_Things are getting worse, much faster than we anticipated. A few former agents who I still have contact with managed to recover one of the omnics you fought that night and we have confirmation that it is an omnic, but it’s been modified by humans. A few of our Lion’s friends looked into the programing and we were able to determine where that omnic came from._

_Although originally from the Omnium in the ocean, it was tampered with and technically belongs to Talon. As you know, Talon is attempting to start another Omnic crisis. We expect the casualties to be high this time, especially without Overwatch._

_. I’m aware that the MEKAs need a mechanic, which is why I’m extending an offer to your mechanic as well. I hope I spelled his name right. Please contact me at your earliest convenience_

_D.K_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that was a mention of Hammond. We'll see him soon. 
> 
> Also, I'm making several references to a side project (sorry guys) and to Ec0craft's Liao, hence the security chief mentions and such. Maddox however was a throw away character in said side project and Ecc0 ran with it and then for shits and giggles i decided to flesh him out a bit and draw him. He's too good to not include in Lee's backstory at this point. The "japanese friend" is named Ren and Ren is Ecc0crafts and he's a joy. 
> 
> Also, the name Lupe.... it looked it up while writing and it appears to be a girl's name, however I originally got it from dad. See a few years back my father worked in the Dominican Republic with a Texican named Lupe and he said he was a great worker and he was hilarious (sense of humor wise). So, I decided to use the same name. also don't complain, Chase is a woman and she has a boy's name because her mother did it to spite her.


	14. When two tribes go to war, A point is all that you can score

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a struggle to work on because of several other factors in my life, as well as me having many other ideas, projects etc. Also because this is getting to be a full sized novel at this point as it's one of the LONGEST things I've ever written. The only thing longer than this -so far- is an AU me and someone -I won't say names- have going. I do however make a few references to their character AND our AU in this however. 
> 
> A reminder: the next few chapters have A LOT to cover and trust me I originally had this Arc -yes arc- pegged at 15-20 chapters, but I decided on 16 main chapters with an epilogue/ and bonus chapters that were to be their own stories, but could bridge the gap between Arcs 1 & 2\. Having said that, this chapter was 18 pages long and the next two may be about that length or longer. and trust me, i had some different plans for this chapter but i kept rewriting it and eventually, half way through the night I erased half of what I had, restructured it and re-wrote the other half of this chapter.... like i wanted to have this posted last night, not on 8am of new years eve... apologies for any mistakes i missed, i'm lacking sleep.

He was quickly beginning to hate the sea.

He hated the way it rocked under him, how it limited what he could do and where he could go. He hated how the moisture sank all the way to his skin and how it made him feel both cold and uncomfortable. The smell bothered him a lot as well, hot it made his throat feel thick, his mouth dry and his head funny.

He shook his head, ears flopping and whiskers twitching. Not like there was anything interesting going on in the cargo hold anyway. He couldn’t even work on Wrecking Ball! He was starting to regret leaving Australia now. He had only left because he had heard a sliver of information about a gorilla from the moon. His heart had leapt for joy when he heard it.  Perhaps 28 had made it! He knew he was headed for Spain, but he wasn’t sure if he had made it or not.

Hammond chattered to himself, climbing back into his seat in Wrecking Ball. He was headed for England. While he would pass by Spain, it wasn’t like he could just launch Wrecking Ball off the boat and into the ocean. The mech wouldn’t last long in the water, especially at such a depth, and he wasn’t about to see if he could swim. He supposed that land travel would be easier anyway.

He was starting to wonder if going on this trip and missing the upcoming season of Scrapyard wars was actually worth it.

________________________________

“So was it worth it?”

Chase looked up at the angry medic, the Swiss woman glaring down at her and crossing her arms. Her arm still ached from where Jarrett’s hackblade had torn into her shoulder. Angela had been able to heal the wound, healing even the muscle but noted that there was a nasty scar on Chase’s right shoulder, right at the crook of her neck.

In reality, Chase had had to fight through several contenders, then Jarrett’s personal honor guard, his right hand man all before he finally decided she was worth his time. It was only then that she had decided to arm herself with her bracer. It was also when she had decided to allow her new hybrid nature show through.

Chase never understood how someone could make a flaming chainsaw sword. She was lucky that it wasn’t on fire when he had landed the hit. Unluckily for him, he had forced Chase to shift and almost kill him in the process. No one had expected her to shift and lash out, nor had the expected Jarrett to shoot at her, breaking his own rules in an attempt to cling to power. Unfortunately for him and his crew, Overwatch had aimed back and had superior firepower, keeping things at a standstill until Chase’s pack had leapt down to her side, an agitated E-54 Bastion in tow.

“Well, I restored order to the Strikers didn’t I?” Chase shrugged with a wince and a sharp inhale. “And now Striker territory is friendly to Overwatch. So yeah, it’s a win in my books.”

“So getting into a gladiator style fight is an appropriate method of settling a dispute!?” Angela all by screamed, regretting her tone as Chase flinched and recoiled, her indicator light turning from green to a dangerous shade of orange-red. “I apologize.. I.. No there’s no excuse for my tone. I know better.”

“It’s fine.” Chase nodded, her own tone betraying her as it shook a bit. The other three Hybrids looked on, watching the Latina cross the room to hug her girlfriend.

“Angela, you know she had to play by their rules.” McCree pointed out, swirling his bourbon around in its glass. “But he needed to go an’ everyone supported it. So yeah I think it fits the bill. I think it’s a little savage but when in Rome.”

“It shouldn’t have to come to that, I agree.” Ana  finished her tea. “But sometimes, you have to come down to a level that they understand.”

“I know I just…” Angela sat down, shaking her head.

“It was brutal.” Liao suggested, his left hand idly petting Mei’s hair as she lazed on his stomach. “And I’ve seen some shit.”

Chase warbled, still rather distressed as Sym sat next to her and Sombra reading what Sombra had dug up. Sombra looked over, moving Chase into a laying position and staying quiet as her fingers gently traced and caressed the hybrid’s ears. Slowly, she watched Chase relax, making quiet noises and quiet unintelligible whispers. To everyone’s amazement, Case’s indicator light dropped back down to a calm green as she relaxed and began to doze.

“Sombra… What are you doing?” Mei asked, watching the woman continue.

“It’s called Autonomous sensory meridian response. It helps her relax and sleep.” Sombra whispered with a grin. “You think this is cool, you should see her when I do this in hybrid form. Her ears twitch and follow the sound. It’s so cute.”

“She can sleep to ASMR?” Angela raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that.”

“She always has been able to.” Ivan shrugged, tweaking his gear. “She’s always had trouble sleeping and it’s one of the few things to help her sleep.”

Before anyone could respond, the three other three hybrids across the room began to quarrel. Ryan was again targeting David while Lisa attempted to put the overly aggressive male in his place. Chase’s upper lip raised, as she let out a warning growl. Ryan ignored the growl until Chase growled louder, rolling onto her front and fixing him with a hybrid stare. Ryan grumbled something incoherent –to the humans anyway- causing Chase to snarl loudly in response. David snorted in reply making a short whining grunt, yelping wildly as Ryan leapt at him, fangs bared. Before anyone could move to stop them, Chase leapt on top of the male and pulled him away, fur flying as the two struggled. Ryan disengaged, ears flattening to his skull as the shifted alpha made herself look bigger, lips pulled back off her teeth, ears erect and tail fluffed up.

Ryan snorted looked to Lisa, drawing ire from the un-shifted woman. “I don’t think you want to test me Ryan. I’m second in command, but if you want I’ll gladly wound your pride.”

Ryan made for an attack, only to yelp loudly and back away, holding a bloody snout. “I don’t think I made myself clear.” Lisa hissed, eyes also taking on the appearance of black sclera and vivid irises. Ryan turned to David, teeth bared. The younger male looked to Chase who nodded. Turning back, David mimicked Chase, trying to assert his dominance. The moment Ryan lunged David turned to smoke, leaving the older male to collide head first with the metal door frame. The force knocked the hybrid right back to his human form, leaving him stunned and to groan on the floor. Chase laughed, flashing David a smile in her hybrid form –as best as she could smile that was, as it looked rather creepy.

“I really appreciate how you value brains as much as brawn Chase. I now see why your pack wanted you to be a leader.” David high-fived the older woman. The woman chuckled and returned to Sombra for rest, watching Angela get up.

“I’m headed to the kitchen. Where’s Amelie?” She asked, noticing the absence of the French sniper.

“Also in the kitchen.” Ame responded breaking meditation. “Something about needing to be alone.”

“I’ll go with you Angela. I need a refill of tea anyway.” Ana stood, fixing her braid. Angela knew the Egyptian sniper had another motive. The three had history and not all of it was good. Silently they made their way to the kitchen and dining area, finding Amalie at the bar. Oddly, she was slowly nursing a single glass of wine while looking at a holopic, a finger balancing the blade of a combat knife on the counter.

“Amalie?” Angela asked softly. The woman made no indication that she had heard the medic, instead blinking at the picture. Only once they drew closer did she speak.

“When I was a girl, I was told that there were…. Limitations to what I could do. What I could say, how to act.” Amalie’s finger gently pushed the butt of the knife around, making it sway in a circular motion. “Ballet was a way to escape those limitations. That’s how we met and through Gerard, I learned to fight back and find my own limitations.”

Both women exchanged a look and sat on either side of her. Ana recognized the picture and looked at the Frenchwoman as she continued. “It was because of him that I fought so hard, and why Talon had trouble brainwashing me and getting it to hold for so long. As it took hold, I thought they were releasing me from all my limitations. Over time, I realized that they were tricking me into trading one set of limitations for another, something I previously would have fought hard against.”

“Amalie, are you alright?” Ana asked watching the tears fall down her friend’s face.

“Non.” Amalie responded, gritting her teeth. “I’m furious. It has taken me this long to break free of their control and brainwashing. This long to realize what they’ve done to me and how to right myself. I cannot undo the wrongs I’ve committed, but I can try to prevent them!”

Angela watched as the knife’s blade scratched the countertop, the handle firmly grasped in Amalie’s hand. She knew that blade, though it took her a while to place where she had once seen it. “That was Gerard’s knife.”

 “Samuel had it after all this time. He returned it to me saying I deserved it back in place of Gerard.” Amalie laughed, wiping her tears. “I think it’s fitting. Talon never gave me a means to defend myself in close quarters, yet Gerard always insisted I learn some kind of combat skill… How I wish I had listened to him.”

 “You miss him.” Ana tried to comfort the woman, watching her brow furrow.

“I hate what Talon has done to me, how they played god with my life and how I helped cause Overwatch’s downfall.” Amalie sniffled, trying to regain her composure. “The more I think about it however, the more I realize that this could be a gift I could use against them. As Retribution.”

“Are you honestly saying-?”

“I know Gerard would not want me in this fight against Talon.” Amalie admitted. “But after what they made me do, after what they turned me into, would it not be fitting for me to turn against them as well?”

A thought struck the other two women. Chase, Amalie was talking about Chase.

“You see yourself and Chase as one in the same, don’t you?” Ana asked, almost knowing the answer before she asked it.

“Oui, both of us taken against our will and twisted into something that suited Talon’s purposes. The only difference was how they were able to control us. As I began to break free of Talon’s control, I saw myself in her.. Who I was before Talon succeeded in causing my true being to slumber beneath the haze and surface of lies and stifling control.” Amalie smiled, one that was not unlike the cruel smirk she had given as Widowmaker, yet it held something more.

“But unlike me. She let it be known that she was a threat and was ready to take them head on, and it would be done on her terms. She singlehandedly is and was ready to risk it all to bring Overwatch back. I admire her.” Amalie finished her wine and stood, taking the holopic with her. “I may not be Gerard, but I will say this; Talon has motivated me to fight against their limitations and the Limitations they created to stifle and silence Overwatch. Gerard’s job was to counter Talon, and I will fight in his stead. Now where is Monsieur Liao? I have to talk with him.” 

“He’s still in the common Area.” Angela supplied. Amalie smiled again.

“Then come, I have a proposition for him.” The sniper strode off, twirling her late husband’s knife between her fingers. Alarmed, the other two women scrambled to follow her. Amalie’s strides however were longer than theirs and she returned to the common area faster than they thought.

“Liao.” Amalie called, startling those who were sleeping. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Can it wait?” Liao mumbled, looking half asleep. “I need my sleep.”

“I would but with how fast Talon’s moving, I agree, with Chase. We need to organize ourselves and formulate a plan. We need to talk about the elephant in the room.”

“Am I missing something?” Liao asked sitting up and disturbing Mei. He looked to Ana and Angela, debating who should speak before Ana nodded.

“She wants to talk about talking Gerard’s place in fighting Talon.” Ana supplied, hearing McCree scoff.

“Ana, it’s fun getting the band back together and We were good at what we did, but Blackwatch was another factor in Overwatch’s downfall. If we brought it back, our credibility would be out the window.” McCree shook his head. “It will be hard enough to sell the idea of Overwatch as it is.”

Liao hummed thoughtfully. “Give me 20 minutes.”

“Lee.” McCree protested, seeing the Singaporean’s hand come up.

“We’ve put this off for far too long.” Liao looked over his shoulder. “It’s time we discussed this.”

 

“So is this everyone?” Liao asked, looking at the multiple screens in front of him.

_{“Should be everyone.”}_ Winston nodded. _{“Also how and why do you have the contact information of Col. Steel?”}_

The Japanese American laughed, the Grey fur of his parka bounding with his guffaws. _{“He offered me a position in Blackwatch back in the day, but I preferred consulting work for the world’s militaries. As soon as The UN started getting weird around the fall of Overwatch, I pulled out of the UN Branch and went solo.”}_

Liao looked at the screens. What agents did answer the recall had shown up, along with new prospective agents, Lee’s old contacts and other undecided agents. Among there were a few politicians, Omnics and Lion Force. Even his own mother had been brought into the call.

“Winston as the only two willing leaders left in Overwatch, we have to discuss something.” Liao cracked his back. “If we’re coming back to fight Talon and the Second omnic crisis, we need to discuss the future of Overwatch AND Blackwatch. You know we were created to stop delicate threats like Talon but Reyes blew our cover with the Venice incident.”

The older generations and those in Overwatch grumbled, as the younger generations looked confused. “Amalie raised a point. Talon was targeting Gerard because he was leading the charge personally against Talon, and she wishes to take his place in this fight. If that’s the case, are we bringing back Blackwatch as well?”

_{“How do the others feel?”}_ Winston asked carefully, testing the waters.

“Moira and Reyes along with roughly half of Blackwatch are with Talon, so the jurry’s out on them.” Liao admitted. “I could rebuild it with new agents but, I’m considering everyone’s input.”

The room was silent before a voice spoke up. “I’d be willing to rejoin and see it being brought back.”

Everyone turned, seeing Genji stand, having taken his helmet off completely. “Captain Liao was the second in command, and later Commander of Blackwatch when he moved to remove Commander Reyes of his position. Had Liao not acted when he did, we could have lost a lot more. It was also through his selflessness, that he continued to fight Talon while we all licked our wounds and longed for vengeance. He’s one of the only ones who knew the truth. I’ll gladly fight alongside him.”

“And I’ll join you brother.” Hanzo stood as well. “This is something that affects the world as a whole. Many of us deserve redemption and as what remains of our clan has sided with Talon, why not lend our talents to Blackwatch?”

“You guys are going to need Intel and something to help keep our edge against Talon.” Sombra exhaled. “We need to stop Talon and fast, they’re rapidly approaching the start of the next Omnic crisis and I will not let my home be ravaged by them again. Stealth and intel are my business, and business is good.” 

“Everything in this organization was given a chance, some a second chance.” McCree sighed. “Reyes should have to answer for everything he’s done. I don’t think Blackwatch will help our reputation or our goal, but it is a nessicary evil I suppose. If we’re bringing in the traitors, we bring them in alive.”

“Ditto! If this is another Omnic Crisis commin our way, Count the Junkers in!” Junkrat jumped up. “You guys are gonn need a demo expert and.. What Roadie here can provide! Right?”

Roadhod simply grunted and nodded.

_{“If it wasn’t for Blackwatch, Malaysia would be in deeper trouble than it was. That and both my life and Redtail’s would have ended long ago. We’re indebted to Captian Liao.”}_ Nightingale responded.

_{“Some of us in Lion Force may have retired from active service, and we may have aged over the years, but we’re not going to let Talon cause a crisis and tear appart our home again.”}_ Tang-man cracked his knuckles. _{“Ready when you are Lee. We’re on standby and we’ve got home covered for you.”}_

_{“I can’t stop you Lee.”}_ A Cantonese accented voice said over the coms, his image flickering in and out of focus. _{“This is your show now bro, I’m not fit to have a say in this.”}_

_{“Of course you do Lotus.”}_ A tiger like Omnic laughed, his black and gold jacket. _{“Regardless if Lotus rejoins Overwatch or not, I’ll join Blackwatch. You know I couldn’t be hacked in the last crisis. We’ve got Hong Kong covered.”}_

_{“What they did to our family was deplorable.”}_ A silver haired woman responded, adjusting her orange rimmed glasses. _{“7 and I will Rejoin Overwatch and we’ll also keep Taiwan safe.”}_

_{“Blackwatch was sneaky, but they were no more at fault than any other countries’ Black ops or Special Forces division.”}_ Lena jumped in suddenly _. {“Go for it Captain. We need people with stealth training for delicate missions, especially if we’re going against Talon, yeah?”}_

_{“Captain Liao Lee.”}_ Lee’s back straightened as his Prime Minister spoke _. {“We’re going to request a slight increase of recently upgraded LD units. In addition, we’re formally sanctioning Overwatch activity within Singapore as well as approving the motion to locate a joint Overwatch and Blackwatch within Singapore. We request that you oversee the base as acting Strike Commander”.}_

“$10 says I’ll still go by Captain rather than Strike Commander Ma’am.” Lee joked, standing to salute.

_{“I guess that’s final.”}_ Winston sighed. _{“Blackwatch is back.”}_

“Hang on.” Chase raised a finger. “After what happened last time, we need a better strategy with Leaders. Take one out or the line of succession, then what?”

_{“Good point.”}_ Conrad coughed. _{“I suggest a council or a group of Regional Strike Commanders.”}_

_{“Athena, list potential acting Strike Commanders.”}_ Winson called.

_“Please wait.”_ Athena stated. Several moments passed before Athena came up with a list, displaying a list of IDS and regions, reading them off as she went.

_“ Acting Strike commander of Overwatch, Blackwatch Commander and ASEAN Strike Commander: Liao “Spectral Savior” Lee_

_Second in Command: unknown. _

_Second in Command for Blackwatch: Unknown_

_Acting Strike commander of Overwatch and Spain Strike Commander: Winston_

_Second in Command : unknown_

_UK Strike commander: Lena “Tracer” Oxton_

_Second in Command: Unknown_

_Egyptian Strike commander : Fareeha “Pharah” Amari_

_Second in Command : Unknown_

_Canadian Strike commander: Chase “Hunter” Edwards_

_Second in Command : Ivan “Laika” Zaitsev_

_Acting American Strike Commander: Jack “Soldier 76” Morrison_

_Second in Command: Unknown_

_Russian Strike Commander: Alexandria “Zarya” Zaryanova_

_Second in Command : Unknown_

_“This list is not exhaustive and we can change it at any given time.”_ Athena warned. _“We can also change it at any given time.”_

_{“Are we allowed to wear the Overwatch Insignia’s on our uniforms if we go into combat?”}_ Hana asked, leaning in closer to the screen. _{“If I go into battle and if Talon’s involved, I want them to know that at least one MEKA squad member is a part of the new Overwatch. I want to wear it on my uniform and I want to put it on my Meka.”}_  

“I don’t see a problem with it.” Liao nodded as he typed something into the console. “I’m also updating my ideal chain of Command for Blackwatch.”

“Changes amended and noted.” Athena sang out. “Blackwatch Second in Command shared between Shimada Genji and Shimada Hanzo, following that Agent Jessee McCree and the omnic known as M4DD0X.”

“How long do we have?” Zarya asked. “Before Talon begins this war.”

Sombra pulled a face. “Not long, they plan to start it sometime after Dia de los muertos. Bastards.”

“That explains where you wanted us to go in November then.” Chase smirked. “You could have told me babe, you know I’m a sucker for learning about different cultures.”

“Here’s the thing though.” Sombra said looking up, the fear rolling off her in waves. “Talon’s still not completely finished, but they’re prepared enough that they could start at any moment if they wanted to. They could literally start it tomorrow, they’re that close.”

“There’s a UN meeting in three days.” Jack swore. “Are they going to move then?”

“Possible.” Liao grumbled. “Maybe one last ditched attempt before unleashing hell.

“They know we’re screwed!” Brigitte cried. “They’re going to set it up to make things harder for us.”

“My friend, you can’t say you didn’t expect this coming!” Rienheardt boomed as Torb pulled on his beard.

_{“There’s nothing we can do except join the voices of protest when things go downhill. Very few countries are prepared and ready to act.”}_

Chase’s eyes widened. “Sombra, is the hotfix ready?”

Sombra looked up. “Huh? Yeah. We’ve been distributing it for the last few days. Loads of omnics have it now. We should be able to avoid a major mess like last time.”

Chase’s eyes darted to Sombra. “And how condensed or fast can you “leak” the truth being the UN, Talon and how that ties into the fall of Overwatch?”

Lee looked up sharply. ”You’re going to expose them and warn people.”

“Bingo.” Chase’s upper lip raised. “Talon wants to play games, then we expose everything they did and we prove Overwatch’s innocence.”

“Expose my survival as well then Sombra.” Lee smirked. “Let’s catch them off guard and make them wonder who’s really trying to bring Overwatch back.”

_{“Some of our reputations are still screwed.”}_ Lotus muttered making Lee laugh.

“Relax Li, your name is at the top of the list for people who were wrongly accused. We’ll be clearing it publicly.” Lee chuckled.

Chase’s mind was going a mile a minute. She had a hunch, and if she was right –and she hoped she was- she had to get out of Canada fast and head for where she thought the epicenter was going to be. Slipping away from the group as quickly as she could, she ran to gear up, preparing herself for the trip. She knew this was stupid, but going it alone might throw Talon off further. All she had to do was get to Toronto before 7am…

__________________

“Are they ready Sanjay?”

Sanjay looked up with a glower. The thick scars that now cut across his face had prevented him from many a public reveal and struck fear in many of his colleagues. Even when he was in a good mood, he looked annoyed and angry, but when he was angry, he looked ready to kill someone.

“If we’re working towards creating another conflict, I don’t understand why we couldn’t use hardlight.” He pouted.

Akande snorted and approached the railing of the catwalk. “It would eventually tie back to us, but for now, it seems wise for the world to think the omnics are working on their own. Besides, even with Overwatch trying to gain power, the longer we keep countries and their populations in the dark about who’s behind things, the better for us it is. We can use the time to spin a tale about Liao possibly digging into places he shouldn’t have and causing many of the Global AIs to turn on us.”

“What about Sombra?” Moira asked from the shadows. “She will expose us.”

“Fret not.” Max chuckled darkly. “My contact in The Watch is planning to remind her that they hold all the cards information wise.”

“Technically we can move at anytime.” Reaper’s eyes scanned the rows upon rows of military omnics. “This is overkill Akande. You said survival of the fittest. This will end even that. Even if you’re planning on taking out Overwatch by sheer numbers…. This is like trying to hit a fly with a Bazooka. Even if you hit it, you’ve got massive collateral.”

“Sacrifices must be made. This is how we’ll evolve as a species, to grow stronger.” Akande looked back. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet Gabriel.”

Reaper let out a feral snarl from behind his mask. “You don’t want to push me right now Akande.”

“Good, channel your rage and hold onto it. It will make you fight better when you’re back into a corner.” Akande smiled broadly. Reaper’s eyes narrowed, he knew this game from basic training. It was an exercise to make you lose your cool, to teach you that losing focus was deadly.

Akande turned away, noticing that Reaper refused to rise to the bait. Pulling a device out of his pocket he held it up. “Orca, Killer Whale, Gratuitous.”

There was an odd noise of static before a deep synthesized voice boomed over the coms. “Uplink established. Good morning Akande.”

“Are systems Operational Ares?” Akande’s voice boomed. “We need to be ready at any time.”

“All systems are fully operational. All Weapons systems are linked, and connections with other AIs are currently awaiting secure uplink status.” The AI responded. “Are we under attack at this time?”

“No, but we anticipate trouble.” Akande crossed his arms. “Commence communications with all Remaining Omniums and God AIs.  Send out the Omnic units and report any changes.”

“I’m heading to England.” Moira announced. “We have a contact who requested me to meet with him urgently in regards to operations there. It’s possible that tensions are flaring up there far too soon as well as in Russia.”

“We’ll deal with Russia.” Akande’s prosthetic fingers tapped the railing. “As for the UK, please, meet with our contact. We need to keep the UK from boiling over too soon. Especially with them now supporting Overwatch activity.”

“What about Canada?” Sanjay asked. “It’s likely that most of their members are hiding there thanks to 304’s influence and ties.”

“I’m not too worried right now.” Akande waved him off. “Overwatch’s pattern is to hit us and then to hide for some time. We’ll be prepared for them next time they pop out of hiding.”

“Akande, we’re seeing activity in several different countries, notably in the Asia and Asia Pacific Region.” Max announced. “Looks like they know something.”

“Let me guess, Singapore’s at Maximum readiness.” Akande laughed. “Liao… Once again, you seek to challenge me.”

“Nothing’s been able to breach his Mech’s AIs, they’re too far developed. It’s like they’re fully functioning AIs themselves. Trying to gain access is like attempting to gain access of the other God AI programs.” Sanjay complained. “And security at his facilities are near impossible to crack. Such a Shame that we lost contact with Lotus, he would have been able to get in.”

“Lotus… The two were always close.” Akande grumbled. “We’ll worry about them later. For now, let’s worry about setting up. If the UN doesn’t comply, then we act in three days’ time… Or sooner.”

________________

Getting to England had been the easy part, though it wasn’t enjoyable. Getting past British security was tougher, especially with her gear. But being a smoky hellbeast had its advantages and soon, she found herself in King’s Row. All she had to do was stake it out right and watch for Talon. Her gear in a duffle bag strapped to her back, she walked around town, keeping an eye out for anything. Her phone was off, as were her coms, but she knew with the Cameras and with the tracking device still in her indicator, Sombra could easily track her if she wanted.

Chase yawned, teeth flashing a bit as she passed. Food was good, maybe sleep. Although she had increased how long she could stay in a smoke like state or shifting between solid forms, it was still tiring. Pausing outside one restaurant, she considered it for a moment then headed inside.

It was a quaint little place, warm, lights dimmed just so, and judging by the quick sniffs, the food smelled good. She yawned again and waited for a waitress. Hiding her collar under her hoodie, she looked around, looking up when the waitress approached. She was a cute creature, long brown hair tied up into a neat bun, cute freckles that dotted her skin, and deep hazel eyes. Chase’s inner primal instinct prodded her to take in the scents again, but Chase told that part of her brain to quiet down.

“Afternoon Luv, table for one?”

“Please. Odd request, but could I get a larger table or a booth if you have one? I worked up quite an appetite today.” Chase nodded, fighting to keep calm at the sound of her accent.  She reminded herself of Sombra, and how she was a one woman type of well… woman.

“Sure right this way.” The waitress, led Chase to a half booth not far from the door. “If you don’t mind my asking, where are you from? Your accent sound so…”

“Lemme guess, I sound very American but every so often something sounds Irish yeah?” Chase grinned as the woman nodded, watching chase gently put her bag down on the seat next to her. “Don’t worry I get that all the time. I’m Canadian.”

“Here on holiday?” The Waitress asked, handing her a menu.

“I wish.” Chase grumbled, looking over the menu. “Business really, looking forward to a lot of sleepless nights…. But it’s the price one pays When the world’s about to go sideways.”

“O-oh..?” the waitress looked frightened. Chase waved her forward.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. Special Forces division. I’m looking into a tip in the area.” Chase offered whispering lowly. “I’m a bit jaded but with tensions being the way they are, I can’t help but be on edge and prepare for the worst.”

“It’s that bad? Do you think it could be another uprising?” the waitress whispered in return, slightly relieved.

Chase shook her head. “Not really no. So far my investigation says it’s an outside force that’s behind this upset. Human element is much more fun than omnic involvement if I’m honest.”

“Really?” The woman asked

“Omnics you can predict to some degree and if you know what you’re doing you can take them out no problem… humans however… there’s always an unexpected quirk.” Chase chuckled. “I’ve seen some odd things.”

Before Chase could place her order there was a low metallic noise followed by the sound of something large rolling. Chase looked up towards the door, hearing something metal reconfigure. Another waiter approached, pausing and backing away. “I… wot?”

_“/Hello, I’m wondering if I can have a table please./”_ a masculine voice squeaked.

“Greetings. He would like to request a table.” A deeper synthesized voice repeated.

“I.. um… sorry… We don’t serve… We only serve humans here.” The male waiter stammered, drawing a squeaky sigh from the being round the corner.

_“/But my money’s good! I’m hungry!/”_

“He has money. He is also hungry.”

Chase tilted her head, not understanding quite why the second voice was repeating what the first said. Motioning to the waitress to stay put, Chase got up from her table, and peeked around the corner. Sitting in a large 4 legged mech was the largest sandy colored hamster she had ever seen. On his forehead was a metal plate, similar to the one Winston wore. The hamster adjusted his harness and crossed his arms, looking up at the man.

“Listen uh… sir? We can only serve humans here…. No omnics and no animals allowed, except service animals.”

_“/Anima- WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ANIMAL!?/”_

The Mech Blinked. “Please do not anger the Hamster.”

“Oh this one’s new.” Chase muttered, drawing the attention of the mech, the Waiter and the hamster.

“I’m sorry for the disturbance Ma’am, it’s just…”

“Hey buddy, what’s your name? Where are you from?”

_“/Hammond. I’m from Australia, though I Originally was from the Lunar Colony./”_

“He says his name is-”

“Then you must know Winston right?” Chase interrupted. Hammond’s eyes lit up, his paw hitting the console and cutting the mech off. “Subject 28?”

_“/You understand me? Without Wrecking Ball’s translations?/”_ the Hamster leapt up out of the Mech and landed with ease back in the pilot’s chair.  _“/Finially! To answer you, yes 28 is a friend of mine. I assume you know him!?/”_

“Yes, He’s often spoken about you.” Chase grinned. “This is interesting. I thought all genetically engineered creatures could speak. I’ve never encountered another genetically engineered creature who couldn’t, and if you came from the Lunar colony…. You must have built this Mech yourself. Impressive.”

“Ma’am?” The Waiter looked up at Chase.

“I’m also a genetically engineered test subject.” Chase offered. “Listen Hammond, why don’t you stick with me? There’s more going on right now then you know about, but I can put you in touch with Winston. Sound good?”

_“/Seems fair, but you’ll have to catch me up on everything./”_ the Hamster smirked.

“Cool. Anything he wants is on my tab.” Chase smirked, heading back to her table. Hammond  snorted and directed Wrecking Ball to the table, nodding thanks when Chase moved the chairs across from her. “Sorry about that, I’m ready to place my order.”

The poor waitress stammered but nodded. “Go ahead luv.”

“I’ll take the fish and chips, and the full rack of ribs. I’ll also have the mozza sticks for an appetizer. For a drink…  screw it, the Shirley Temple.” Chase handed the Menu over. “What about you Hammond?”

The hamster scratched his chin then chittered politely, as Wrecking Ball translated. “He asked if there’s anything with Carrots.”

The waitress hurried off with the order leaving the two alone. _“/So then, You’re engineered as well. What’s your story?/”_

Chase laughed. _“/Kidnapped by an organization that Winston was helping to fight a few years back, and changed against my will. That’s actually why I’m here./”_

Hammond’s whiskers twitched. _“/To find who did this to you?/”_

_“/No, but I suspect that group is here…./”_ Chase looked towards the window. _“/I assume you know about the Omnic crisis./”_

_“/Yeah./”_

  _“/Well the group that did this to me is trying to start another omnic crisis. I’m here to see what’s going on. Winston was part of a group that helped keep the peace, but this troublesome group called Talon, lied and had Overwatch shut down. Winston’s trying to rebuild it even though Overwatch is still illegal./”_ Chase exhaled. “But he needs help. We’re literally on the brink of another Omnic crisis and we need to act. We have to try to save as many lives as possible./”

The hamster hummed, arms crossed as his brow furrowed. He was lost in thought for a while before he looked up. _“/How long do we have? What are our numbers like and what are the odds?/”_

Chase huffed as the waitress placed the drink in front of Chase and a glass of water in front of Hammond. “Not good. Talon’s ready to strike any day now. They’re not 100% finished, but they’re prepared enough to strike at a moment’s notice. If they start another omnic crisis….. I mean, Sombra’s worked with another hacker-programmer to find a way to limit the destruction Talon will cause with the omnics, but we’re still far from finished with making a hotfix for all other offensive style omnics.”

“Wait... This is what your mission is about?” The waitress whispered. “Are you with Overwatch?”

“No.” Chase looked up. “I’m not, but just because I’m not operating under the Overwatch name doesn’t mean that others aren’t, nor does it mean what members aren’t operating under another. No one’s willing to take on Talon directly… Except me. Talon changed me, they turned me into a weapon to help further their goals and their agenda. But like any weapon created, it can be used against them, and I chose to do just that.”

_“/Let me help you./”_ Hammond piped up as Wrecking Ball translated for the Waitresses’ benefit. _“/This is something that effects all living beings, regardless of species, organics or synthetics. Regardless of if we live on the moon or Earth. Regardless if we were born or created. I’m tired of uprisings, ones that threaten other’s lives, Tired of sitting around and not being able to help stop it or at the very least, doing something. I say again, let me help./”_

Chase smirked widely. “We need all the help we can get Hammond. It’s time we rise and fight to protect others from this injustice.”

______________________________

“DE PUTA MADRE!”

Liao’s head snapped up at the Spanish curse. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the Mexican hacker. “Sombra?”

Sombra looked up palefaced, eyes wide with terror as she trembled. “I… I… I’ve just been exposed.”

“WHAT!?”

Sombra’s trembling fingers brought up a purple hued screen, showing it off to the gathering. It had appeared as if Sombra’s identity was now breaking news across the world. Sombra bit her lip letting out a shaky sigh. “Someone within Talon appears to have done it. I… I haven’t been found like this since well… Before I joined Talon. I was 18 last time I was compromised!”

“Olivia Colomar…” Phara raised an eyebrow. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Shut up!” Sombra yelled.

“Does Chase know?” Ana’s gaze foucased on the hacker.

“Si, I told her a while back. I asked her to pretend not to know around you guys though.” Sombra admitted. “Katya found out somehow and she, Lynx, and Zarya knew. Fuck….”

“Do they know where we are?” Liao reached for his gear.

“No, they just wanted to compromise me. They must be working with the conspiracy that found me all those years ago.” Sombra rubed her face with her hands. “Where’s Chase? I need to let her know.”

“I think she’s out.” Junkrat admitted. “She slipped away hours ago.”

“When?”

“When we were having the meeting about Blackwatch.” Junkrat shrugged, reaching for some snacks. “I went looking for her a while later but she was gone. Probably went out into the woods or something.”

“Junkrat… that was over 7 hours ago….” Colbol announced. “Unless she went into town or got lost or something… she must have returned right?”

“Hang on.” Lynx muttered searching for something. “Damn, her phone’s off, so is her communicator. I can’t track her.”

“I can.” Sombra looked up. “I disabled the tracker in her collar but only I can access it now. I could turn on her phone and Comms if I want but… her collar is silent and won’t give her away if she’s in danger or hunting.”

“Good idea.” Jack murmered, reaching for his coffee as Sombra took another sharp inhale. “What?”

“She’s in King’s Row.” Sombra refused to look up. “What’s she doing in King’s Row?”

“Call her!” Angela cried. “Maybe Talon got their hands on her.”

“Ok ok hang on…. Speaking of calls, I’ve got an incoming ping. Message for you McCree.” Sombra looked up, hitting a few things on her screen before picking up her phone.

“Play it then.” McCree picked up his coms. “Cowboy here.”

_“{Thank goodness you answered. It’s Me, Delta. I’m still in the area where you left me and I’m glad I’m still here.}”_

“Ec- Delta? I thought you would have rejoined King Kong by now.” McCree’s eyes widened in surprise.

_“{No. After hearing what happened in Deadlock Gorge, I decided to hang around for a bit. Then I heard a man talking about you and supposing that you were up to no good. He did not take kindly to omnics and told me to stay away from his Granddaughter.}”_ Echo responded. _“{However his Granddaughter decided to approach me, and asked if I knew you. Do you know a Lindsey?}”_

McCree felt his blood freeze. “Delta you have to look after her if you can. She’s the only family I have left who’s living. She… She’s my daughter.”

_“{I know, she told me. We’re both in trouble however.”}_ Echo announced hastily. _“{I… I’ll put her on, she’s desperate to speak with you.}”_

_“{PA!}”_ A young Woman’s voice called out. _“{We need help here at the farm. Grandpa won’t admit it, but things are getting kinda weird here. All the other omnics are staring at us and their voices sound a little… glitchy. Since then, there’s been a few odd folks checking out the farm, especially since This omnic lady started stayin with us.”}_

“Lin, the omnics aren’t making like…. Growling sounds are they?”

“Yeah… they are. Why do you ask?”

“Fuck!” McCree swore loudly as Liao jumped up getting his gear.

“This is how it started last time.” Ana murmured. “Starts with omnics acting odd, their voices getting corrupted…. Next thing you know they go tiff then start attacking.”

“Someone get Winston on the line. Tell him to get our gear ready. Who knows what will happen.” Liao ordered. “I’ve just about had it with Talon.”

“Just about?”

“I think you sent a clear message when we were in Hong Kong, by taking out Fist and then Mama Hong.” Mei replied, tossing him his breastplate. “And everything that came with it.”

“Hold on!” Jesse roared, making everyone pause. “What about my daughter and Echo!? I’m not leaving them on that farm with possibly hostile omnics and with either Talon or whoever scoping it out!”

“What about Chase!?” Sombra argued. “She’s in the UK on her own with no backup! What’s she supposed to do if there’s a situation!?”

“Sombra, you have to put your trust in Chase. She has made a foolish decision yes, but you must remember that this is the sort of mission she was designed for.” Amalie put her hand on Sombra’s shoulder. “She was made for stealth, infiltration, and combat. You know what she’s capable of and if need be, she can hold enemies off until we can make it to her. I don’t agree with it either, but for now, we will have to depend on her.”

“She’s not alone either.” Genji pointed out. “There’s plenty of agents in the UK, including Tracer. We could message her and warn her of what’s going on.”

“Agreed. But we must act now.” Hanzo interjected. “We have limited time and Jesse is right, we should make an effort to save his daughter and this Echo. If we are on the eve of another crisis, we must act swiftly to ensure the safety of our loved ones.”

“Got that big guy?” Jack asked as the group hurried to pack and prepare.

_“{Of course Jack. I’m already working on pulling extra gear out of storage to help arm you. In addition, any civilians and noncombatants should stay here. I could protect them.}”_ Winston nodded.

“I’ll join you.” Lynx volunteered. “I’m not the most combative person, but I can help in any way. Not to mention we need to try to keep communications clear and secure for this.”

_“{I’m going to regret this but, I’ll start heading there now_.}” Torb sighed. _“{If only to make sure Brigitte and Rienhardt stay out of trouble!}”_

“Pa!”

“Ah my friend you don’t need to!” Rienhardt crowed. “But the change of heart is a different change for you.”

_“{Blame the Bastion.}”_ Torb snapped. _“{It will take a day just to get to Kings Row, and if you’re making multiple stops and traveling back and forth…. By the time you arrive to pick me up, it will be almost a day anyway. So meet me in Paris.}”_

“Aww you miss us.” Liao grinned, laughing when the man yelled in Swedish.

_“{You always were a little shit. The little brother of the group, isn’t that what Lotus once called you?}”_

“He called me plenty of things.” Liao responded, throwing his bag over his shoulder. “Right, I’ll get the Orcas ready. Jack, Ana, are you sure you can handle yours?”

“We should be fine, if not Fareeha can do it.” Ana nodded.

“Fine. I’ll get the Blackwatch Orca.”

“Liao wait.” Lynx put a hand up. “It may be wise to use the fastest aircraft to transport the civilians and those of us who need to prepare for the conflict ahead to Gibraltar first. Set up our defenses and try to warn and watch the population. We could also pick up Mr. Lindholm as well.”

“I don’t like splitting the team like this.” Liao shook his head. “But Fine. That means most of the team will be in the Overwatch Orca while the rest will be in the Blackwatch Orca.”

“Alright by me, as long as I’m in Texas to get my daughter.” Jesse huffed.

 

The Orca was cramped with all the Agents who had packed into it. Luckily, Sam, Lynx, Amalie, the Volskias, Yume, Ame, Sachi, Junkrat, Roadhog, Lucio, Liao and Mei had all taken off in the Blackwatch Orca. They had to prepare the gear and get the information out to the population.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team was headed to Texas. Sombra was hurriedly working on putting a few things together, all so they could expose the corruption and the forced end to Overwatch. While they were doing that, McCree was busy doing some checks.

“Here Han!” McCree called, tossing a dark Breastplate to Hanzo. “Not the best I know, but I grabbed it out of Liao’s supplies. It’s better than nothing at this point.”

“Blackwatch issued I presume?” Hanzo asked, looking it over before pulling off his jacket.

“Looks to have some of Liao’s customizations.” Genji noted with a hum. “By the way, why are you and McCree so close brother?”

“Remind me to tell you the story of when I had to save his ass in a bar one night.” McCree laughed. “Thought I heard a tale of you poking around only to discover your brother. I tell ya, your Japanese Lessons paid off.”

“I thought you only knew English and Spanish Jesse.” Phara called.

“Nope, learned Japanese from Genji when we were in Blackwatch. It used to piss Gabe off that Me, Genji, Moira and Liao could all understand each other and he couldn’t.”

“Oh Shit…” Sombra muttered under her breath.

“What?” Angela’s head turned towards the hacker who looked more worried than before.

“Talon’s in the UK, and Chase… Chase has been spotted by the news with a giant metal ball.”

“What!?”

Sombra brought up the screen and enlarged it, showing a news segment in the UK where reporters asked people on the street for their opinions. Behind chase was a huge metal ball while the woman looked somewhat relaxed as she answered questions.

“You really have no opinion against the omnics?”

_“{Why should I? Yeah I get there was a crisis, but at the same time, they were hacked. Take for example the riots that happened back in Canada a while back.}”_ Chase shifted her weight with a knowing smile. _“{It was rioting humans who killed my foster family and it was omnics who took me in and looked after me. Now you have a community of humans and omnics living together while the rest of the country –who pretends to be accepting and welcoming might I add- raises hell over this. It’s typical really, the older generations spread hate for whatever reason and then can understand when us younger generations try to spread the love they had stood for, and they get upset when we move past the hate.}”_

_“{Surely it’s not fully on the shoulders of the older generation_.}” The reported began, while Chase interjected.

_“{The Every generation has it’s struggles and their way of life, and when something  disrupts it, it’s easy to channel their anger into things. It happened with various wars, it happens with governments and their corruption, it happened with the omnics and it happened to Overwatch.}”_ Chase exhaled. _{“We could sit here all day and argue about human nature, but the truth of things is that a long time ago, people discovered that you can manipulate the system to fit your agenda, treating life like a game of chess. And frankly-”}_

_{“We’re getting off topic here, and we’re running out of time before we have to-”}_

_{“It’s not off topic, don’t you get it? Don’t you Wonder why the UN is stalemating, why it was threatening to take away protection against Talon if countries didn’t re-sign agreements wot outlaw Overwatch? It’s because Talon infiltrated the UN and many countries support it! That’s why no one’s formally gone against Talon!}”_ Chase snarled, pulling her hoodie down to show her collar. “{If countries took a stand against Talon, if Overwatch was still around, I wouldn’t have been a test subject for the buggers against my will!}”

There was a pause as the reporter’s hand went to her earpiece before turning to Chase. _“{I’m sorry… my producers asked if I could ask you more questions…. You said you’re a former Talon test subject?}”_

_“{Knew that’d get your attention. I’m Chase Edwards, I was mentioned on the news a while back yeah. I was a former test subject for something called the Hunter Killer project. They wanted to recreate the SEP program but two drunk idiots tossed in an experimental Gene splice.}”_ Chase nodded. _“{Talon liked the idea and decided to make super powered hell-beasts who could infiltrate, cause trouble then get out. Talon wanted us to help stir up trouble amongst the omnics and humans, but before they could go too much further, Amalie- or Widowmaker as Talon called her- and Sombra broke me out and together the three of us turned against Talon.}”_

_“{I’m sorry… you said… Talon wanted you to cause trouble with the omnics?}”_

_“{We all know Human-Omnic Tensions have been high since the Crisis, and they’re the highest here in Kings Row. Talon’s Plan is to start a war, a human-Omnic war. We’re not 100% sure why, but it has to be stopped. That’s why I came alone.}”_ Chase lifted her head. _“{An early version of Talon had my father killed during the crisis, and after their dirty deals, politicians working for Talon everything… Talon used politics to shutdown Overwatch so they could operate uncontested. Certain members figured it out however and Overwatch tried twice to get the truth out and stop them, but they were beaten. Liao Lee was injured badly and was recovering when Zurich happened. And when Gao Li and Overwatch tried to question Reyes about what happened. Reyes led the remains of Blackwatch against Overwatch.}”_

_“{Wait, Gao Li was arrested for conspiring against Overwatch wasn’t he?}”_

_“{It was a set up. The used Liao’s intel to frame him and others. Reyes survived and somehow became Reaper, Moira D’ O'Deorain and many members of Blackwatch have joined Talon. Talon’s also connected to the Vishkar and killed Mondatta simply to make tensions raise further.}”_ Chase explained. _“{We have proof and it will be available soon. Like I said, I came here alone to stop Talon because they aren’t 100% ready yet, but they’re close enough to start when they please.}”_

_“{We already learned that Sombra is Olivia Colomar through a leak earlier today. Are you aware of this?}”_

_“{A leak? She wouldn’t give out her name like that.}”_ Chase snarled. _“{Talon’s playing dirty I see… that or the conspiracy leaked it.”}_

_{“I need to ask, are you with Overwatch? Most of this information seems to be highly Classified.”}_ The reporter asked, looking around, suddenly fearful. Chase’s eyes snapped open, suddenly on high alert. Sombra and the other Agents knew that look, Chase had smelled or seen another hybrid nearby.

{“No, I’m not with Overwatch, but I will support them if need be. The governments of the world, all citizens should get to safety now or seek shelter.  Talon is using omnics to help create this war, and I suspect that they were going to start soon… if not in the next several hours.”} Chase pulled her bracer out of the duffle bag as her eyes turned into their creepy hybrid look. “{The one good thing about being a hybrid and being forcefully modified  is that we can tell when one another’s nearby… and if there’s two here, then Talon has soldier’s here… I know something was up when I saw Moira in the Restaurant.}”

Before the woman could move, there was a roar off-screen, accompanied by the ball reconfiguring into a huge mech as Hammond’s head popped out of the hatch. Several red dots appeared on Chase before gunfire rang out and the woman turned to smoke.

The battle had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, Ashe showing up works PERFECTLY with a McHanzo thing I was working on -Referenced by McCree's quip to Genji: 
> 
> “Remind me to tell you the story of when I had to save his ass in a bar one night. Thought I heard a tale of you poking around only to discover your brother."
> 
> Ashe by the way will be appearing in the next chapter. 
> 
> Lotus -Ecc0craft's Liao- is referenced here with similarities to her Liao's canon, however she suggested a while back that his last name could be Gao to tell the difference. Also the silver haired girl from First strike is mentioned here. Syl will be returning in the next chapter along with the tigerlike omnic Maddox (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/418490026851041280/478630160191717376/Maddox-_street_Rat_AU.jpg ) who's now part of Lee's Canon backstory. 
> 
> I also discovered that Hamsters shouldn't be bathed if possible and i thought it'd be finny to include this Hammond at sea after i imagined him showering in a sink to remove grease and motor oil and the like from his fur -the mental image looked cute ok- and I was struggling to find a way to introduce him/explain how he got to King's Row. 
> 
> Because Chase's genetic makeup includes animal DNA, Chase can understand him because to quote Jeff "All animals can understand each other". this will be further explained later.


End file.
